Skipton Town Council

Annual Accountability & Governance Return (AGAR) and the Council's Accounts

The Local Audit & Accountability Act 2014 and the Accounts & Audit Regulations 2015 set out the responsibilities of all local councils in respect of their accounting and auditing procedures.

Each year, the Council's financial accounts and statements are examined by an independent internal auditor appointed by the Council.

The Council is also required to complete an Annual Accountability & Governance Return (AGAR) which includes the findings of the Internal Auditor, together with Governance Statements and Financial Statements. The AGAR is then submitted to another independent external auditor for examination.

For the financial year ending 31st March 2018, the Council's Internal Auditors have now completed their review and the Council's Financial Statements have been produced and approved by the Council.

The Financial Statements and the AGAR have now been submitted to the Council's External Auditors (Messrs Littlejohn LLC of Canary Wharf, London) for review.

Normally the External Auditor publishes their report and opinion by around September each year. That opinion will be published on this website in due course.

A summary of the audit process is detailed below, together with copies of the relevant documents.

A copy of the Council's AGAR submission and/or Financial Statements can be obtained from the Council on request. A small fee is payable to cover administrative and copying costs.

Year Ending 31st March 2018

The Council's Financial Statements and Annual Accountability & Governance Return (AGAR) submission for the year-ending 31st March 2018 were approved by Council at its meeting on Thursday 28th June 2018.

The completed AGAR, together with the relevant supporting documentation, has been submitted to the external auditor.

The Counci's External Auditor for year ending 31st March 2018 is Messrs Littlejohn LLP of Canary Wharf, London.


Financial Statements 2017-2018

A copy of the Financial Statements for Skipton Town Council for the year ending 31st March 2018 can be viewed or downloaded below:

STC FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2017-2018

These Financial Statements provide a 'snapshot' of the Council's financial position as at 31st March 2018 and summarise the financial activities of the Council during the financial year.


AGAR Documentation

Copies of the various sections of the Council's Annual Accountability & Governance Return can be viewed or downloaded below, together with the Notice of Electors Rights which provides for any local elector to examine the Council's Financial Statement, AGAR and background documentation.

Annual Governance Statement 2017-2018

This section sets out a number of statements made by the Council itself regarding systems of internal control and arrangements for the preparation of accounting statement for the year ending 31st March 2018.

STC GOVERNANCE STATEMENT 2017-2018

Accounting Statements 2017-2018

This section summarises the Council's financial position as at 31st March 2018 in terms of income and expenditure. The figures are drawn from the Council's Financial Statements.

STC ACOUNTING STATEMENTS 2017-2018

Internal Audit Report

Alongside the Financial Statement, an 'internal' audit is undertaken each year. The findings of the Internal Auditor are summarised into a further section of the Annual Return.

A copy of the Internal Audit Summary can be viewed or downloaded below:

INTERNAL AUDIT SUMMARY 2017-2018

Notice of Electors Rights

Legislation provides for a period of time during which any local elector may examine the Council's documentation in connection with its Financial Statements and AGAR.

The notice includes details of the dates during which these rights may be exercised - and the procedure for doing so.

A copy of the notice may be viewed or downloaded below:

NOTICE OF ELECTORS RIGHTS 2017-2018

Remainder of the Process

The Council was required to submit its AGAR to the External Auditor by 2nd July 2018. This has been done.

The External Auditor will now undertake its review of the AGAR submission and will report its findings to the Council in due course - normally by around September.

Full details of the External Audit Report will be published on this website once it has been received.

The Council is required to make available any AGAR information for a period of five years from the conclusion of the Audit. You should contact the Council's offices if you wish to review any information from a previous year.

Financial & Transparency Information

Under the Local Government Transparency Code 2014 the Council is obliged to publish certain elements of information including, for example, details of any items of expenditure in excess of 500.00, details of any tenders or contracts exceeding a value of 5,000.00, details of any land or building assets owned by the Council and details of any grant funding given to community groups and voluntary organisations.

This legislation came into force in May 2014 and information will be posted to this section of the website on a minimum quarterly basis.

Payments Over 500.00

The following downloads show, on a month by month basis, any individual item of Council expenditure in excess of 500.00 in value (excluding VAT).

Payments Over 500.00 - July 2014
Payments Over 500.00 - August 2014
Payments Over 500.00 - September 2014
Payments over 500.00 October 2014
Payments over 500.00 November 2014
Payments over 500.00 December 2014
Payments over 500.00 January 2015
Payments over 500.00 February 2015
Payments over 500.00 March 2015
Payments over 500 April 2015
Payments over 500.00 May June 2015
Payments over 500.00 July and August 2015
Payments over 500 September 2015
Payments over 500 October 2015
Payments over 500.00 November 2015
Payments over 500.00 December 2015
Payments over 500.00 February 2016
Payments over 500.00 March 2016
Payments over 500.00 April 2016
Payments over 500.00 May 2016
Payments over 500.00 June 2016
Payments over 500.00 July 2016
Payments over 500.00 August 2016
Payments over 500.00 September 2016
Payments over 500.00 October 2016
Payments over 500.00 November 2016
Payments over 500.00 December 2016
Payments over 500.00 January 2017
Payments over 500.00 February 2017
Payments over 500.00 March 2017
Payments over 500.00 April 2017
Payments over 500.00 May 2017
Payments over 500.00 June 2017
Payments over 500.00 July 2017
Payments over 500.00 August 2017
Payments over 500.00 September 2017
Payments over 500.00 October 2017
Payments over 500.00 November 2017
Payments over 500.00 December 2018 until April 2018
Payments over 500.00 May 2018
Payments over 500.00 June 2018
Payments over 500.00 July 2018
Payments over 500.00 August 2018

Freedom of Information Requests

This information is currently being updated.

If you need any information on lodging a Freedom of Information Request or a Subject Access Request, please contact the Council for assistance.

Complaints Procedure

As with any organisation, from time to time, the Council may get things wrong, or you may feel that the Council hasn't acted in the correct manner.

The vast majority of problems or complaints can be resolved quickly and informally - and Skipton Town Council would always prefer to deal with any matter in this manner, rather than take a more formal route. You should contact the office with details of any issue and they will refer your problem to the most appropriate staff member.

If it proves not to be possible to resolve an issue informally, Skipton Town Council does have a formal Complaints Procedure.

Generally, any formal complaint should be addressed, in the first instance, to the Chief Officer of the Council. The Chief Officer will acknowledge your complaint and give an indication as to how long it will take to investigate the matter and respond to you. If you are not satisfied with any subsequent response, you may request that your complaint be escalated up to the Council's 'Complaints Panel' of Councillors or, ultimately, to the Full Council. Details of the procedures for various types of complaint are set out in the 'Complaints Procedure' document which can be viewed below. Copies are also available from the Council's offices.

Please note that the Local Government Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over Town or Parish Councils.

Download a copy of the Council's Complaints Procedure:

Complaints Procedure 2016/17

Publication Scheme

This section is currently being updated to take account of changes in legislation.

The updated Publication Scheme will appear here shortly. If you require any further information in the meantime, please contact the Council's offices.