Finance

The management of the Parish Council’s finances is guided by the Audit Commission Act 1998 and the Accounts and Audit Regulations issued from time to time under the Act.

The Act requires local councils, i.e. Town and Parish Councils, to prepare accounts annually which are then subject to an external audit. The Act also provides that the Secretary of State may make regulations covering:

  • how accounts should be kept,
  • the form of accounts and how and when they must be approved and published,
  • where and for how long taxpayers can view the accounts and
  • how taxpayers can exercise their rights in relation to the accounts.

The rights of taxpayers and other interested parties are described in the Act and a document on these rights is available here.

Financial Regulations

The Parish Council’s decisions on Financial matters are governed by the Parish Council’s Financial Regulations. You can read an updated copy of Cookhill Parish Council’s current Financial Regulations – as adopted at the Parish Council Meeting on 9th January 2024 – by clicking on the above link.

The main source of Cookhill Parish Council’s income comes from the ‘Precept’, which Wychavon District Council, as the billing authority, collects from each household through the annual Council Tax bill. In 2019-20 the average Band D parish precept was £67.18

The Band D levy for 2023/24 was £42.49. The proposed Band D levy for 2024/25 equates to £43.46 on the Council Tax Demand, an increase of 2.3% compared with the current year’s charge.

The total precept for Cookhill Parish Council for 2024-25 is £26,650 including the DCLG support grant.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Neighbourhood Fund

The parish council is required to report on an annual basis information relating to monies received from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Authority, which in our case is Wychavon District Council.

For the financial year, starting 1st April 2022 and ending on the 31st March 2023 – with the payment period of 1st October 2022 to 31st March 2023 – Cookhill Parish Council received Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Neighbourhood Funds of £6,434.12 from Wychavon District Council. The money is held in an earmarked fund and will be spent on items of benefit to the Cookhill community.

View the breakdown of expenditure here.

What is the Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund?

When a development takes place within a parish this results in CIL being paid to the local district council.

To help communities accommodate the impact of the new development, the government has determined that a proportion of the CIL paid shall be provided directly to the town / parish council as a Neighbourhood Fund.

The Neighbourhood Fund is to be 25% of CIL monies received by Wychavon District Council for developments within parishes with a Neighbourhood Plan, or 15% without a Neighbourhood Plan (the latter being capped at a maximum of £100 per council tax dwelling). Payment is calculated based on the status of the Neighbourhood Plan in an area at the point at which the planning permission first permits the chargeable development (ie full or reserved matters permissions).

Annual Audit of the Parish Council Accounts

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts

Every Parish Council is required, by the Audit Commission, to complete an Annual Return.

Click here to read the Parish Council’s Internal Audit Terms of Reference, updated on 14th February 2023.

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2022/23

The Council received confirmation from PKF Littlejohn LLP that the Annual Return for 2022/23 had been concluded on 28th July 2023. You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2022/23 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2021/22

The Council received confirmation from PKF Littlejohn LLP that the Annual Return for 2021/22 had been concluded on 29th July 2022. You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2021/22 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2020/21

The Council received confirmation from PKF Littlejohn LLP that the Annual Return for 2019/20 had been concluded on 20th September 2021. You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2020/21 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2019/20

The Council received confirmation from PKF Littlejohn LLP that the Annual Return for 2019/20 had been concluded on 13th October 2020. You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2019/20 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2018/19

The Council received confirmation from PKF Littlejohn LLP that the Annual Return for 2018/19 had been concluded on 13th August 2019 . You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2018/19 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2017/18

The Council received confirmation from PKF Littlejohn LLP that the Annual Return for 2017/18 had been concluded on 31st August 2018 . You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2017/18 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2016/17

The Council received confirmation that the Annual Return for 2016/17 had been concluded on 29th September 2017 . You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2016/17 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Annual Audited Accounts 2015/16

The Council received confirmation that the Annual Return for 2015/16 had been concluded on 26th August 2016. You can view the Parish Council’s Annual Return for 2015/16 by clicking on the links below:

Cookhill Parish Council – Budget Review 2024/2025

Cookhill Parish Council reviewed and agreed their budget for 2024/2025 in January.

You can view the budget by clicking here