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

=== 📄 Draft FOI Request ===

Freedom of Information Act 2000 Request
To: Shalfleet Parish Council (Clerk and RFO)
From: Ed Surridge, Resident of Shalfleet Parish
Date: [Insert date]
Subject: Request for Full Disclosure of Financial and Governance Information

Dear Clerk,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request disclosure of the following documents and records, covering financial years 2022–2023 and 2023–2024:
# Annual Governance and Accountability Returns (AGARs), including sections completed by internal auditors.
# Copies of all internal audit reports and related correspondence.
# Copies of the Exercise of Public Rights notices and any related communications with the external auditor.
# Full details of all payments over £100, including payee, amount, and purpose.
# Minutes or decisions relating to the approval of AGARs and the conduct of the Annual Parish Council Meetings.
# Any correspondence with BDO LLP or other auditors regarding compliance concerns.
# Any legal advice received about the April 2024 attempted AGM substitution.

===== Pre-emptive Justification =====
* Openness is not optional: Regulation 14 of the Accounts and Audit Regulations requires public access to accounts.
* Courts have supported the public’s right to openness, e.g., R (Whitby) v North Yorkshire County Council [2016] EWHC 993 (Admin), where failure to comply with transparency obligations was deemed unlawful.
* Parishioners elsewhere (e.g. Ryedale District Council campaigners, 2019) have successfully used FOI to secure access to AGARs, restoring public trust.

===== Nolan Principles Reminder =====

The seven principles of public life, which guide all local authorities, are:
# Selflessness
# Integrity
# Objectivity
# Accountability
# Openness
# Honesty
# Leadership

This FOI request is made in the spirit of those principles, especially accountability and openness. Delaying or restricting access would run contrary to them.

I request your acknowledgement of this FOI within 5 working days and a full response within the statutory 20 working days.

Yours sincerely,
Ed Surridge
Resident, Shalfleet Parish

✅ With this combination of proposal + FOI request, you cover both:
* A constructive, cooperative invitation (showing you want the council to lead on transparency).
* A legal obligation (so if they refuse, you can escalate).

Would you like me to also draft a shorter, noticeboard-style public message for other parishioners to understand what you’re asking, without all the legal references? That way you’d have something quick and easy to share locally.