The Transparency Code for smaller councils was introduced by central government in 2015 to ensure that all Councils with an annual turnover of up to £25,000 make public a raft of information about their financial dealings and governance. Claxton Parish Council published its fifth return in April 2019. This is the sixth and comes shortly after the close of financial year 2019-20.
The Parish Council is required to publish:
- all items of expenditure above £100
- end of year accounts
- annual governance statement
- internal audit report
- list of councillor or member responsibilities
- details of public land and building assets
- minutes, agendas and meeting papers of formal meetings
Claxton’s contribution to the Code for the financial year 2019-20 is as follows:-
All items of expenditure above £100
All individual items of expenditure, both above and below £100, are listed in the bi-monthly minutes of the Council, which can be viewed elsewhere in this website. In practice there are few in excess of £100, and these are set out below. All VAT is recovered as a matter of course in the following financial year. All but number 7 below are recurring items of expenditure.
- The Clerk’s salary (£2,475.34) paid monthly.
- The grounds’ maintenance with Loddon Garden & DIY (2 instalments of £354.17 excluding VAT) paid in May and November.
- The Council’s insurance premium (£149.83) paid in May each year.
- The cost of running internet in the Village Hall, which came to £263.95 in 2019-20.
- An annual grant of £300 made to Claxton Parochial Church Council as a contribution to churchyard maintenance costs.
- The cost (£106.80 excluding VAT) of emptying the dog bin at the Village Hall.
- Acquisition of a SAM2 (Speed Monitor Device) which was purchased jointly with Langley with Hardley PC. The cost to Claxton PC was £845.49 and funding of £837.50 was received for this from the Claxton Parish Pit Charity.
End of year accounts
(AGAR 2020 Pages 1 and 2 are cover pages)
AGAR 2020 Page 3
AGAR 2020 Page 4
AGAR 2020 Page 5
AGAR 2020 Page 6
Notice of Public Rights 2020
Bank Reconciliation 31 March 2020
Explanation of Variances (from budget)
List of councillor or member responsibilities
The list of responsibilities allocated to individual Councillors is shown in the PARISH COUNCIL/Policies tab on this site. All Parish Councillors’ details appear on the website. All Parish Councillors are also automatically Trustees on the Claxton Parish Pit Charity (the Pits Trust).
Details of public land and building assets
The Council does not own any buildings. It does however own the land on which the Village Hall stands, together with the Village Green at the Warren. The land at the Village Hall site is some 0.67 acres (0.27 hectares, 2,700 m²) and the land at the Warren measures some 0.40 acres (0.16 hectares, 1,600 m²).
The date when these two sites were acquired is unknown, as is the current value. Both are now used exclusively for community purposes.
Minutes, agendas and meeting papers of formal meetings
All minutes and all draft agendas for future meetings are regularly posted on the website and the Parish Council notice board, and minutes dating back to 2011 can also be found on the website. Agendas are removed from the website and notice board once the meetings have taken place, but copies of Agendas from November 2015 are available electronically free of charge from the Clerk. The Clerk holds the current official Minutes Book, previous copies of which have been sent to the County Archives in Norwich, and can be viewed there if required.
