About Wrinehill

    The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has been working on improving standards and accounting practices of local councils, particularly parish and small councils. The 2024/25 review shows that 97% of local authorities submitted their Annual Governance and Accountability Returns (AGARs) by the end of September. Whilst two-thirds of councils (67%) received clean, unqualified audit opinions.  However, this also means, that 33% did not – ie one third of all councils.   And although councils might have submitted their returns on time, this does not mean to say that their record was accurate or completely open and transparent.   Thus the study would appear to focus primarily on completion rates rather than on the depth or effectiveness of audit scrutiny. The Report also stated that Auditors also maintained high levels of performance, completing 94% of reviews by the statutory deadline, rising to 96% by year-end.   However, this might be to pla...

  The Annual accounts for the Parish have now been prepared and approved by Members.   Between June and July is the period when parishioners can ask to see documents or seek clarification and even raise concerns about expenditure with the internal auditor.   Failing that, the external auditors.   However, the Annual Audits are snap shots of the annual accounts for the PC, the documents submitted to the auditors being chosen by the clerks of councils, their scrutiny ‘light touch’.   Only on occasion might the Auditor ask for more.         Accounting Scrutiny (or not) Last year when the clerk was asked for the contact details of the internal auditor the response was that these were on the PC website.   However, they could not be found.   Should this happen again, the Internal Auditor’s contact details (Davenports Accounting) and not to be confused with Davenports Accountancy (of Manchester) are available at Companies House 09...

  The local elections are now over for Newcastle-under-Lyme.  Perhaps for the last time. Although Labour’s long-standing dominance in parts of North Staffordshire appears to have weakened, the political direction of the past fifteen years reflects a broader pattern of public dissatisfaction rather than straightforward ideological change. Across North Staffordshire, political allegiance has shifted incrementally: from Labour to the Liberal Democrats, via a flirtation of support for UKIP, to Conservative control, and now to a seemingly growing affection for Reform UK.   Whether this represents a settled move to the right or simply frustration with the local political establishment remains problematic.   Either way, it signals a significant loss of public confidence in traditional politics. In some parts of North Staffordshire and South Cheshire, however, longstanding political and social networks appear to remain firmly embedded.  Critics argue that this can c...

  Reading the Minutes of Betley Parish Council, one could easily conclude that a peculiar form of collective amnesia pervades the meeting room.   Items raised in one meeting rarely seem to reach any satisfactory conclusion in subsequent ones before being quietly buried beneath the next agenda. Matters drift in, are discussed vaguely, and then disappear into the administrative fog. ·   Administrative Amnesia Many of the issues debated by the Parish Council appear only loosely connected to its actual remit.   Until 2024, the Council seems to have functioned with few, if any, meaningful policies of its own.   When policies finally began to appear, many seemed to be heavily based on policies used by other authorities, with limited obvious adaptation for local circumstances .   The suggestion to make them more suited to Betley was cursorily dismissed.   Although a few positively presidential in tone clauses appear to have been inserted, which, if not...

  Resident Response to piece on Betley Bonfire Committee by resident: 'Heaven forbid that a group of local volunteers should get together to organise an event enjoyed by thousands and which raises money for local good causes and organisations without some interfering busybody with too much time on their hands deciding it should be done her way, rather than the way that has worked for years. The bonfire committee is a voluntary organisation and how it chooses to operate is for them to decide.' From Anonymous. ********* The above is a response from 'Anonymous' to the blog re the piece recently posted on the Bonfire Committee.   The issues raised in the blog are, however, issues that residents in the parish are also raising.  However, the above comment appears to be missing the point.   It is unfortunate, however, if reasonable questions are viewed as ‘interference’ and ‘busy-bodying’, when they are in fact a normal part of ensuring openness and maintaining tr...