The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (now renamed the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government) issued the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 (the Code) which came into effect on 1st April 2015. The Code was issued through powers under Section 2 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and replaces any previous codes issued in relation to local authorities in England under those powers.
The aim of the Code, which can be found here, is to increase transparency through publication of open and reusable data enabling taxpayers to see how local authorities are using public money
The Code does not replace, or supersede, the existing framework for access to public sector information provided by the:-
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005
Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community Regulations 2009
Sections 25 and 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014
which provides the rights for persons to inspect a local authority’s accounting records and supporting documentation, and to make copies of them
The Code applies to Town and Parish Councils which a gross income or expenditure in excess of £200,000. Parish councils with a ‘turnover’ of between £25,000 and £200,000 will be expected to follow the Local Government Transparency Code but are not legally required to do so.
Rawreth Parish Council provides some information below but also elsewhere on this website.
Information which needs to be published
Under the below headers, information and data will be published at least quarterly by the Council. Under the Data Protection Act 2018, personal data will be redacted if it can identify an individual
Where contracts are awarded through a tender process and the value exceeds £50,000, the data will be published upon project delivery
Expenditure over £500
The Council publishes expenditure over £500 including supplier and transaction information.
The Council’s expenditure for each financial year can be found on the Audit page of this website
Government Procurement Card Transactions
Rawreth Parish Council does not use a Government Procurement Card and therefore has no information to publish.
Grants and donations to voluntary and community organisations
As part of its ongoing commitment to the local community and voluntary sector, the Council offers grants throughout each financial year to support groups, activities and projects organised to benefit the people of Rawreth Parish. Details of grants awarded can be found in the Council Minutes page of this website.
Organisation Chart
The Council employs a Clerk, who is also the Responsible Finance, Maintenance and Open Spaces Officer.
Senior Salaries
The Code requires local authorities to publish details (including job descriptions, responsibilities and staff numbers) of any senior employees earning over £50,000 per annum. Rawreth Parish Council has no employees whose salary exceeds £50,000 per annum.
Pay Multiple
The pay multiple is defined as the ratio between the highest taxable earnings for the given year (including base salary, variable pay, bonuses, allowances and the cash value of any benefits-in-kind) and the median earnings figure of the whole of the authority’s workforce. This must be published annually.
The pay multiple for Rawreth Parish Council is 1.1 as they only have one member of staff.
Councillor’s allowances and expenses
Councillors may claim expenses such as mileage.
Contracts and Tenders
Copies of contracts to businesses and to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector worth more than £5,000 can be found on the schedule of payments.
Invitations to tender and quote are issued for goods and services over £30,000.
Tenders will be published at www.rawrethparishcouncil.co.uk
Public Land and Property owned by the Council
In order to ensure transparency and reasonableness, the following items are included on the Council’s Asset Register whether they have been gifted, purchased or otherwise acquired by the Parish Council together with their location.
These may include:-
Land and buildings held freehold or on a long term lease
Community assets
Vehicles, plant and machinery
Assets considered to be portable, attractive or of community significance
Long term investments, share and loans
The Asset Register is available on the Asset and Budget Page of this website.
Parking Account
Rawreth Parish Council has no chargeable parking and therefore has no information to publish.
Parking Spaces
Rawreth Parish Council does not provide any parking spaces.
Policies and Governance Documents
The Councils policies and governance documents can be found on the Policies page of this website.
Fraud
Rawreth Parish Council has no staff members undertaking fraud investigation work and therefore has no information to publish.
Council Budget
A copy of the Council’s budget will be published annually. Rawreth Parish Council is funded through the precept, which is collected along with your council tax.
The budget for the current financial years can be found on the Asset and Budget Page of this website.
Internal and External Auditors
In accordance with the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, Councils are required to have an annual internal audit. The Internal Auditor is appointed by Council who evaluate and review the Councils risk management, controls and governance. The Councils current Internal Auditor is Heelis and Lodge
A copy of the latest Internal Audit Report can be found on the Audit page of this website.
Annual Return and Annual Governance and Accountability Returns
The Annual Return and Annual Governance Accountability Return must be submitted by the Council to the government appointed External Auditor each year. The current nationally appointed External Auditor is PKF Littlejohn LLP.
Copies of these can be found on the Audit page of this website.
Council and Committee Minutes
All Council and Committee minutes can be found on the Minutes page of this website.
Constitution
Rawreth Parish Council has Standing Orders in place which can be found on the Policies page of this website.
Social Housing
Rawreth Parish Council does not provide any social housing or own any social housing stock.
Trade Union Facilities Time
Rawreth Parish Council has no staff members who are union representatives and therefore has no information to publish.
Waste Contracts
There are no waste collection contracts managed by Rawreth Parish Council.
If you are unable to find the information you wish to see, please contact: clerk@rawrethparishcouncil.co.uk