Being open and honest
The money that a Parish Council spends is raised through taxes - so it is only right and proper that a Parish Council is open and transparent in how that money is spent. This is why each year Hemswell Parish Council completes a set of documents and financial statements for the Annual Governance and Accountability Return, or AGAR for short. The AGAR documents include an Annual Governance Statement, Accounting Statements and an Internal Audit Report. There is a lot of preparation that goes into year-end and completing the AGAR forms as each section includes information about our governance arrangements, financial transactions, assets and liabilities, income and expenditure, and other relevant details.
AGAR is an essential part of our internal and external audit processes and allow us to show:
1. Accountability: The AGAR provides a transparent and accountable overview of our financial activities, governance procedures, and decision-making processes. It shows good management and stewardship of public funds and adherence to legal and financial regulations.
2. Compliance: The AGAR helps ensure we meet statutory requirements and regulations by publishing information on financial management, internal control procedures and our audit processes.
3. Transparency: By making the AGAR publicly available, we are being transparent and open and inviting residents to review our financial performance, budgeting decisions, and governance arrangements.
4. A clear audit trail: The AGAR is the basis for an external audit of a local council's financial statements. Hemswell Parish Council meets the criteria of a 'smaller authority'* (<£25k gross income/expenditure) and is, therefore, able to certify itself as exempt from a limited assurance review.
When our documents have been completed, checked and approved at full council, the AGAR Certificate of Exemption is submitted to the external auditor (appointed by the Audit Commission). That does not mean the council might not still be subject to a full external audit, which is why it keeps thorough and accurate records and completes and publishes its AGAR each year.
5. Financial Assurance: The AGAR helps provide assurance that the management of our accounts and finances are conducted in a responsible and proper manner. It ensures that our accounts are accurate, complete, and a true reflection of our financial position.
You can follow the links below to see each year of our accounts and the statements and documents that make up the AGAR. The pages can be downloaded as pdf files.
* Sct 9 of the Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015