The Accounting and Audit Regulations govern the requirements for the production of the Councils accounts. The Council is classed as a 'smaller authority' and its statutory accounts are produced in the form of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) which is subject to a Limited Assurance Audit by PKF Littlejohn LLP, 1 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4HD.

The Council is required:

• To make arrangements for the proper administration of its financial affairs
• To secure that one its officers has the responsibility for the administration of those
• affairs.

Redbourn Parish Councils officer is the Responsible Financial Officer whose role is:

• To manage the affairs to secure economic, efficient and effective use of resources and safeguard its assets
• To approve the Annual Governance and Accountability Return
• To approve the Statement of Accounts.

The Responsible Finance Officers Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the preparation of the Councils Annual Governance and Accountability Return in accordance with Governance and Accountability for Smaller Authorities in England to present a true and fair view of the financial position of the Council at year end and its income and expenditure for the year end.

In preparing these financial statements, the Responsible Finance Officer has:

• Selected suitable accounting policies and then applied them consistently
• Made judgements and estimates that were reasonable and prudent
• complied with generally accepted accounting practice
• Kept proper accounting records which were up to date
• Taken reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Any person interested has a right to inspect and make copies of the accounting records for the financial year to which the audit relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records will be made available for inspection by an interested person. These documents will be available on reasonable notice by application to::

Chris Kenny, Clerk/RFO for RPC on 01582 794832 or clerk@redbourn-pc.gov.uk

Local Government electors and their representatives also have:

• The opportunity to question the appointed auditor about the accounting records and
• the right to make an objection which concerns a matter in respect of which the appointed auditor could either make a public interest report or apply to the court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful. Written notice of an objection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the smaller authority.
• The appointed auditor can be contacted at the address below for this purpose between the above dates only.

The smaller authority's AGAR is subject to review by the appointed auditor under the provisions of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 and the NAO's Code of Audit Practice 2015. The appointed auditor is:

PKF Littlejohn LLP (ref:SBA team)

1 Westferry Circus

Canary Wharf

London E14 4HD

(sba@pkf-littlejohn.com

This announcement is made by CHRIS KENNY, RFO of RP

The primary source of income for most Parish Councils comes from the Precept, part of the Council Tax.

The Town Council receives a small proportion of the local Council Tax. It does not receive any direct funding from central government. The funding collected pays for the running of the Council and the services it provides.

Each year, the Parish Council forecasts how much money it is going to need the following year. This is then divided by the number of properties in the parish that fall into Band D Council Tax bands. This figure is adjusted to take account of such things as exempt properties and planned new houses to get the precept each Council Tax payer in the parish will contribute.

Further details of the Parish Council's budgets for the 2020/21 Financial Year can be obtained from the Parish Clerk.