Finance and Audit
General information
Skelton-cum-Newby Parish Council is a small local authority funded largely by public money. The Council is responsible for ensuring that its business is conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards, that public money is safeguarded and properly accounted for, and that its business is run economically, efficiently and effectively. The Clerk to the Council acts as the Council’s advisor and administrator, and is the Responsible Financial Officer for administering the Council’s finances.
The Council's main activities are ensuring that correctly performs its statutory functions as a local authority. It also administers the Reading Room (village hall) in Skelton-on-Ure, the Millennium Pond, and the Recreation Ground, all of which are leased from the Newby Hall Estate. The main source of income is the precept which is collected on its behalf by Harrogate Borough Council through the council tax system. The parish has a population in the region of 200 adults and the precept for 2024-25 is £2,508. [n.b. the precept has been halved for the last three years as the Council has adequate reserves.]
The council works to an annual budget, which is usually set in the Autumn of the previous year. The 2024-25 budget is available here:
Annual Return
The Annual Return summarises the previous year's financial activity. It is subject to internal audit by an independent accounting professional, and submitted to the External Auditor, which for the 2022-23 accounting period is PKF Littlejohn LLP.
Annual Return documentation is shown here:
Public Rights
During the annual period of exercise of public rights - which in 2024 is 3 June to 12 July - any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of 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 will be made available for inspection by any person interested. Information from the National Audit Office about public rights is available here.
General information
Skelton-cum-Newby Parish Council is a small local authority funded largely by public money. The Council is responsible for ensuring that its business is conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards, that public money is safeguarded and properly accounted for, and that its business is run economically, efficiently and effectively. The Clerk to the Council acts as the Council’s advisor and administrator, and is the Responsible Financial Officer for administering the Council’s finances.
The Council's main activities are ensuring that correctly performs its statutory functions as a local authority. It also administers the Reading Room (village hall) in Skelton-on-Ure, the Millennium Pond, and the Recreation Ground, all of which are leased from the Newby Hall Estate. The main source of income is the precept which is collected on its behalf by Harrogate Borough Council through the council tax system. The parish has a population in the region of 200 adults and the precept for 2024-25 is £2,508. [n.b. the precept has been halved for the last three years as the Council has adequate reserves.]
The council works to an annual budget, which is usually set in the Autumn of the previous year. The 2024-25 budget is available here:
Annual Return
The Annual Return summarises the previous year's financial activity. It is subject to internal audit by an independent accounting professional, and submitted to the External Auditor, which for the 2022-23 accounting period is PKF Littlejohn LLP.
Annual Return documentation is shown here:
- SCNPC financial accounts and bank reconciliation as at 31 March 2024
- SCNPC Internal Audit Report 2023-24
- SCNPC Annual Governance Statement 2023-24
- SCNPC Accounting Statements 2023-24
- SCNPC Certificate of Exemption from External Audit 2023-24
Public Rights
During the annual period of exercise of public rights - which in 2024 is 3 June to 12 July - any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of 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 will be made available for inspection by any person interested. Information from the National Audit Office about public rights is available here.