About Wrinehill

We are now in the period when the annual accounts for Betley Parish Council can be examined.  Last year (2023/24) the Internal and External Auditors noted 'significant weaknesses' in the AGAR forms submitted - ie in the accounting and governance procedures, which appear not to have been followed correctly or as prescribed by the financial rules and regulations advocated by JPAG for local councils. Although requests for expenditure should be placed on the agenda to be discussed and approved by the council (good practice), they seem to appear, instead, under Chair's Reports or in Expenditure to be approved (as if they had been discussed already).  Under this item councillors are asked to approve items which have no figure beside them.  And then there is Urgent Business.   Numerous requests have been made for the monthly accounts to be more clearly expressed so that expenditure against budget can be more clearly noted, especially when there is an overspend in a bud...

  When I first became a Parish Councillor in 2022 the first thing noted was that this council had few if any policies to work to.   This gave the impression it was working on a whim rather than to agreed and statutory rules. It was a step in the right direction when a list of policies for adoption were placed on the Agenda.   However, many of these were borrowed ‘model’ or ‘standard’ policies.   It was suggested that these at least be tailored to this PC.   Unfortunately,   This was not taken with a good grace, and neither was it clear how they could and should be applied. One of the most important policies relates to freedom of information and its accessibility to the public. The last political regime (Conservative) softened some of the rules making information less accessible, namely by suggesting payment.   However this was left to the discretion of any council, which could price the request out of reach.   Hopefully only an unscrupulou...

  Whilst a Parish Councillor, I asked many times for information concerning funding and accuracy issues.  The style in which the Minutes were written after May 2022 when I was appointed, were also a cause for concern. Since this information had not been forthcoming I made a Freedom of Information request to the Clerk, first regarding past minutes.  It seems that there are no Minutes for Betley available in the public domain (and Minutes are public property) before 1959.  I found this extraordinary for such an ancient Parish as Betley.  It appeared that no Minutes had been deposited with the Staffordshire Record Office, ever.  In a Minute (25/10) the then Clerk recorded that he had found Minutes from 1925 to 1958 and that these were now in his safekeeping.  If this was the case then it would be useful to know where these Minutes are now.  There were also gaps in the 1970s and some even more recent Minutes were incomplete.   When the Clerk...