Editing Openai/68c0109a-3744-8002-80a6-138182f7ddda (section)

=== Assistant: To establish what money was spent where by Shalfleet Parish Council during the 2023–2024 financial year, especially in … ===
To establish what money was spent where by Shalfleet Parish Council during the 2023–2024 financial year, especially in light of your concerns about missing or mishandled Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) procedures, here are practical, legal, and strategic steps concerned individuals can take:

===== Under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, parish councils are legally required to open their books to the public for inspection each year, typically for 30 working days between June and August. =====

====== - Inspect the full accounts, invoices, receipts, and payments. ======
* Request copies (for a reasonable charge).
* Ask questions of the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO).

📌 Action: Write a formal request under the Public Inspection Period to the RFO and Clerk. Ask:

: 

===== If the inspection period has been mishandled or information is being withheld, submit an FOI request to the Council asking for: =====
* A copy of the 2023–24 AGAR
* Full budget vs. actual spending breakdown
* Copies of invoices and bank statements from April 2023 to March 2024
* Minutes approving spending decisions

📌 Use email or post, and address it to The Clerk/RFO, Shalfleet Parish Council.
FOI responses must arrive within 20 working days.

===== Every council has an appointed external auditor (likely PKF Littlejohn LLP for small councils in England). If you believe: =====
* The council failed to approve or submit an AGAR properly
* The council missed the May Annual Meeting (which is a legal obligation after an election year or annually otherwise)
* Spending was not transparently reported

📌 You can submit a formal objection to the accounts under Section 27 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act.

The objection can:
* Challenge the legality of a specific item of spending
* Ask the auditor to issue a public interest report

===== You may also: =====
* Speak during public questions at a future Parish Council meeting
* Ask your ward councillor (if dual-hatted) or Isle of Wight County Councillor to intervene
* Write to the Monitoring Officer at Isle of Wight Council if misconduct is suspected
* Use local media or Facebook groups to gather more public support

===== By law (Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities), Shalfleet Parish Council must publish: =====
* All expenditure over £100
* The AGAR
* Annual internal audit reports
* A list of councillors' responsibilities
* The dates for public rights to inspect accounts

📌 If they haven't, this is a statutory failure and you can report it to the ICO, NALC, or external auditor.

===== |     |     |     | =====
| --- | --- | --- |
|     |     |     |
|     |     |     |
|     |     |     |
|     |     |     |
|     |     |     |

Would you like help drafting any of these requests or objections (FOI, public inspection, or to the external auditor)?