Financial information

Wem Rural Parish Council aims to give value for money as it raises and spends money for the benefit of the local community. It makes it clear where the money goes and is accountable for sound financial management.

Parish Councils that spends taxpayers’ money has a duty to do so lawfully and must be confident that whenever it spends any money

it has the legal power (it is not acting beyond its powers)
it follows lawful procedures
it does not take unnecessary risks
transactions are transparent
councillors conform to standards in public decision making.

There is legislation that provides a detailed framework that Parish Councils must follow. Parish Councils must take responsibility for

appointing an appropriate officer to manage its finances
following lawful and proper financial procedures
deciding how much precept (the amount of money Shropshire Council collects on behalf of the Parish Council) to ask for from the council tax
establishing sound internal control (audit) systems
setting up its own financial regulations
formally accepting the end of year accounts
submitting what is required to the external auditor
publishing the accounts and the results of audit

Community Led Housing Grant Scheme January 2016

Wem Rural Parish Council was successful in being awarded a grant of £69,000 from Shropshire Council for participation in the Community Led Housing Scheme at Round Meadow, Wem. Although not funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), Shropshire Council has stipulated the grant must be used for projects which meet the criteria of the Neighbourhood Fund element of CIL. The grant must be utilised within 5 years (July 2020).

Wem Rural Parish Council will use the grant within the set criteria and statutory powers. In addition, the Council will award grants, specifically for capital expenditure projects, to voluntary organisations and community groups, which in the opinion of the Council is in the interests of the Parish of Wem Rural and / or its residents and will benefit them in a manner commensurate with the expenditure.

All applications will be considered on their individual merits. The final decision on assessment of applications and the level of any grant offered lies with Wem Rural Parish Council and grants will be awarded on a ‘match funding basis’.

Full details of the Scheme can be found through this link.

If you are interested in making an application under this Scheme please contact the Clerk.

Annual Community Grant Scheme

The Council is committed to supporting local community groups and where possible, financially. The Council invites applications on an annual basis with deadlines published in the Rural Review.

Full details of the Scheme can be found through this link.

If you are interested in making an application under this Scheme please contact the Clerk.

Monitoring and control

At every Council meeting the Budget is monitored and explanations for any amounts under or over expenditure are discussed. Also, expenditure can only be approved at full Council meetings. The Council’s finances are audited annually both internally (an independent official nominated by the Council) and externally (by auditors appointed by the Government’s Audit Commission).

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