About Wrinehill

 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...

        NALC also reported that as part of its White Ribbon activity, in which it is urging all councils to participate, it is also exploring the  parish and town councils leading the way in tackling violence against women and girls through White Ribbon Accreditation and local action. White Ribbon Day is a powerful reminder of a collective responsibility needed to end violence against women and girls. Such a commitment needs to extend beyond one day. By taking the pledge and supporting the cause, it is hoped that all can help to create a safer, more respectful society. When this idea was presented to Betley Parish Council two years ago, it did not see the light of day. The Campaign, run by men, is in order to raise awareness and  focus on prevention, and encouraging men and boys to speak out against harmful attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls.  It should be extended to all, however.  This year's theme,  We Speak Up , ...

  The National Association for Local Councils (NALC) in an attempt to change/improve the accounting practices of smaller councils is launching a consultation re the proper practices for smaller councils re transparency and accountability and sound financial management.  The Smaller Authorities Proper Practices Panel (SAPPP) formerly AGAR which a fter the Audit Commission was abolished, became the core document for the new audit regime run under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. The completed AGAR form had to  include accounting statements, Governance statements and an internal audit report. All these documents must be made available to the public in order to help residents see how local money is being managed and spent. The Internal and External Auditors review the AGAR to check that governance arrangements are sound, that accounting statements are properly prepared, that public money is being used lawfully.  However such reviews are very light tou...