About Wrinehill

  Re Risk management and internal control: Did you know that: The Parish Council must ensure that it has a sound system of internal control, which delivers effective financial, operational and risk management.   It is unclear if this is the case.   The recent Finance and Audit Committee set up appeared to be unworkable and it is questionable why it was set up at all.   The same could be said for the Planning Committee.       That at least once a year, the Council must review the effectiveness of its system of internal control, before approving the Annual Governance Statement (ie completing the AGAR Form).   This can only be done by the full council not a working party or a committee.   It is not a tick box exercise and the process demands both scrutiny and honesty.    Any accounting control systems determined by the RFO must include measures to:   ensure that risk is appropriately managed; ensure the prompt, accura...

  There is a new consultation circulating by national government re the proposed reorganisation of local government in Staffordshire. Almost each larger council in Staffordshire has put in a proposal with their own and often self interested proposal for residents to consider. There are, therefore, five proposals to comment on, or just the one that you might think is preferable. The deadline is 26 March 2026. All the proposals are interesting - some more than others. The least attractive is possibly the proposal from Newcastle-under-Lyme which suggests business as usual - which is not really an option. Trying to second guess which option will be preferable for Betley will be difficult. Over the years things have changed and not always for the better. The same could be said for Newcastle-under-Lyme town. And what has happened to all the promised funding for the redevelopment of the vacant derelict sites around the town/borough promised by the Council and the (disgraced) forme...

    A long overdue inquiry has been made recently into the workings of local councils and their low standards.   Urgent reform has been urged in order to make the standards framework fairer, stronger and more consistent across all tiers of local government. It has recently been reported by NALC that ‘the  Smaller Authorities Proper Practices Panel  ( SAPPP ) has replaced the JPAG although the AGAR form will still be compulsory (t he Annual Governance and Accountability Return) which local councils have to   complete annually and submit to a reputable auditor.   This stands at the heart of good governance and sound financial management across England's smaller authorities. This is the body that defines what best practice really means, setting the standards that guide thousands of parish and town councils in ensuring transparency, accountability, and integrity in the use of public funds.   Unfortunately, when questioned...

  Section 106 Money Recent articles in national newspapers have highlighted the practice that some local councils have adopted re stock-piling S106 monies.   Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on- Trent were called to account some years ago for retaining several million pounds rather than spending the money on improving the locality where the development was taking place.   Nationally the practice continues.   More recently it was discovered that Betley Parish Council had not claimed the £47,000 (the commuted sum for the former Bluebell Inn development in Wrinehill.   So it reverted to Newcastle-under-Lyme who have claimed that it was spent elsewhere in the borough.   More recently £11,158 was reserved by Newcastle-under-Lyme to resurface the Betley Village Hall carpark (S106 money from the former garage site development in Wrinehill.)   When the issue was first raised in a Parish council meeting in 2024 it was ignored.   When it was raised a ...

 The issue of the whereabouts of the S106 monies from the two Wrinehill developments has been raised on several occasions but without a satisfactory conclusion or, indeed accountability.   It has been understood for several years that the latest development CIL will be spent on the Village Hall car park.  Despite its deplorable even dangerous condition this has not happened yet although it has/had been raised regularly at Parish Council meetings and deferred.   In the last PC Minutes (November 2025) it was noted vaguely that the money would be used for 'the Village Hall Car Park and associated areas'.  Hopefully 'the associated areas' means Wrinehill.  Residents have asked for some trees to be planted on the now wide grass verge.   Nothing from the Bluebell development S106 monies  (£47000) was spent in Wrinehill - although this tax levy is intended for that purpose - the improvement of the localities in which developments take plac...

 I was alerted to the County Council's External Auditor  preliminary report recently.  It made interesting reading especially where it mentioned that no complaints had been made against the council.  This would be a good thing if it was true.   Complaints have been made but these have not necessarily been admitted by the Legal Department/MO which is a different thing.  Badly behaved Councillors appear to be absolved with a tapped wrist even when evidence would appear to be prima facie.  It does not help either if such posts requiring an open mind are stacked by candidates whose role now seems to be to support the status quo - of bad behaviour.   Thus it is that some councils are able to ignore complaints and the requests made under the Freedom of Information Act with flippant responses which adhere neither to the letter or to the spirit of the Law.  Hopefully the Minister for Local Government will make a meaningful inquiry into such...