Council Business
The Public Hall
The Public Hall, 216 Main Street is where the Parish Council meets and where the Clerk works two days a week.
The Public Hall is also hired out to a wide range of groups – Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, Art Clubs (for children and adults), Dance Academy (for children), Yoga, Pilates, and it is used by Age UK to provide advice and other services. Hire charges vary and start at £10.40 an hour. Please contact the Clerk if you would like to know more about hiring The Public Hall.
Groups who provide services free of charge to the local community such as Billinge Residents Association and Billinge Community Music Group use The Public Hall free of charge.
Powers and Duties
The Parish Council has a range of powers and duties which are defined in law. It is one of around 10,000 Parish and Town Councils who work at the level closest to local communities and are known as Local Councils.
In our Parish we deliver a number of services which include:
- The Public Hall
- Play Area at Dam Slacks
- Millennium Garden
Assets
The Asset Register adopted by the Parish Council on 17 /06/24 is available to download here Asset Register Jun 24
Budget and Finance
The Budget 2024/25
The Parish Council agreed its annual budget on 15 January 24. The budget is the basis for the Precept which contributes to funding the Parish Council and which is an element of your Council Tax. If you would like a copy of the Budget 2024/25 please contact The Clerk who is also the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO)
Financial Management
At each Parish Council Meeting a Schedule of Payments is presented to the Parish Council for approval. The Schedule of Payments is then published in full as part of the approved Minutes of each meeting. The Schedules going to each meeting are available on the website when the Agenda is published.
Each quarter a report on spending to-date against the approved budget is presented by the Clerk to the Council. The first quarterly report for 2024/25 will be presented to the Parish Council Meeting on 16 September 2024 and will be available to read when the agenda and reports are published on the website on 10 September 2024.
Year-End Accounts 2023/24
The year-end accounts are included in the Annual Governance and Accounting Statement (AGAR).
Internal and External Audit
Each year the Parish Council’s Accounts are internally and externally audited. As part of that process the Parish Council publish an Annual Governance and Accounting Statement (AGAR) and submit it to the external auditor as part of their audit process. The AGAR went to the meeting on 20 May 2024 (along with the Internal Audit Report) for approval and is available here: AGAR2324BillingeParishCouncil The explanation of variances from the previous year 2023/24; the bank reconciliation at end of March 2024; and the AGAR have been submitted for external audit. The results of that external audit will be reported to The Parish Council and published on the website.
There will also be a period during which the public can inspect the Accounts for 2023/24. That period will be from 10 June 24 to 19 July 24. This notice has also been displayed on noticeboards – Dates for Public Inspection 23-24 Accounts
Questions about Accounts or Request to Inspect Accounts for 2023/24
If you do have any questions about the accounts for 2023/24 or want to arrange to inspect them contact the Clerk/RFO but please note that she only works Mondays and Tuesdays. Her contact details are:
email -clerk@billingeparishcouncil.gov.uk telephone – 07483 325064.
Civility and Respect Pledge
The Parish Council has signed up to the Pledge which is a national initiative to improve behaviour in local councils. The Parish Council is committed to being a Council which is the best it can be and which treats everyone with civility and respect. As part of The Civility and Respect Pledge the Parish Council agreed at its meeting on 17 June 24 to apply for The Local Council Award Scheme – Foundation Level.
