Internal Audit

West Swindon Parish Council commissions an independent auditor to review its accounts, governance and financial and risk compliance. This involves an indepth check on payments, processes we follow when we spend public money, risk assessments, risk management, decision making, tendering, and public communication. A copy of the Internal Auditor's Report 2022-23 was noted by the Full Council meeting on 26 June 2023 for the previous financial year.

You can be read it here: Internal Audit Report 22-23 

Any interested person can inspect the accounting records, which includes but is not limited to local electors. You can inspect the accounting records for the financial year to which the audit relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records. You can copy all, or part, of these records or documents. Your inspection must be about the accounts, or relate to an item in the accounts.

You cannot, for example, inspect or copy documents unrelated to the accounts, or that include personal information (Section 26 (6) – (10) of the Act explains what is meant by personal information). You cannot inspect information which is protected by commercial confidentiality. This is information which would prejudice commercial confidentiality if it was released to the public and there is not, set against this, a very strong reason in the public interest why it should nevertheless be disclosed.

A detailed notice is available to read here: Notice of Public Rights

 

External Audit

After the Internal Audit, the Parish Council must submit financial information and the internal audit report to an external auditor for an Annual Audit. Every Parish Council will do this or claim exemption. The current external auditor is PKF Littlejohn. Their contact details are: 

PKF Littlejohn LLP (Ref: SBA Team), 15 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London E14 4HD  (sba@pkf-l.com)

The following documents form part of the Annual Audit process:

• Annual Governance Statement 2022-23 and Section 2 Accounting Statements 2022-23 AGAR Sections 1 & 2
• Auditors Report and Certficate AGAR Section 3

The Annual Governance and Accountability Return is available for inspection by any resident within the West Swindon Parish. We are happy to share our information and answer your questions. Please contact the Parish Office to arrange a mutually convenient time to view the information. Please refer to Notice of Public Rights for full information about your right to inspect: Notice of Audit 30.09.23 
 

Last Year

West Swindon Parish Council's Annual Governance and Accountability Return for the last financial year 2022-2023:

• Annual Governance Statement 2022-23 Audit Section 1 & 2
• Accounting Statements 2022-23 Section 3
• Auditors Certificate
   

Historic External Audit Information

• External Audit 2018-19
• External Audit 2019-20
• External Audit 2020-21
• External Audit 2021-22
• External Audit 2022-23