Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2021/22
The audited accounts for 2021/22 can be seen on the Audit page.
Little Melton Parish Council
Notice of conclusion of audit
Annual Governance & Accountability Return for the year ended 31 March 2022
Sections 20(2) and 25 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014
Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/234)
- The audit of accounts for Little Melton Parish Council for the year
ended 31 March 2022 has been completed and the accounts have been
published. - The Annual Governance & Accountability Return is available for
inspection by any local government elector of the area of Little Melton
Parish Council. - Copies will be provided to any person on payment of £5 for each
copy of the Annual Governance & Accountability Return.
Announcement made by: J Heaser - Chair
Date of announcement: 28/08/2022
Audit 2023/24 - Notice of Public Rights
Little Melton Parish Council
NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF UNAUDITED ANNUAL GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 Sections 26 and 27
The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/234)
NOTICE |
1. Date of announcement - 14/06/2024 2. Each year the smaller authority’s Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) needs to be reviewed by an external auditor appointed by Smaller Authorities’ Audit Appointments Ltd. The unaudited AGAR has been published with this notice. As it has yet to be reviewed by the appointed auditor, it is subject to change as a result of that review. 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 must be made available for inspection by any person interested. For the year ended 31 March 2024, these documents will be available on reasonable notice by application to: (b) John Heaser, Chair of LMPC, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 01603 812472 commencing on (c) __Monday 17 June 2024 _______________________ and ending on (d) ___Friday 26 July 2024 ________________________ 3. Local government electors and their representatives also have: · The opportunity to question the appointed auditor about the accounting records; and · The right to make an objection which concerns a matter in respect of which the appointed auditor could either make a public interest report or apply to the court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful. Written notice of an objection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the smaller authority. The appointed auditor can be contacted at the address in paragraph 4 below for this purpose between the above dates only. 4. The smaller authority’s AGAR is subject to review by the appointed auditor under the provisions of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 and the NAO’s Code of Audit Practice 2015. The appointed auditor is: PKF Littlejohn LLP (Ref: SBA Team) 15 Westferry Circus Canary Wharf London E14 4HD (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) 5. This announcement is made by (e) Mrs C. Jowett, Clerk to LMPC
|
LOCAL AUTHORITY ACCOUNTS: A SUMMARY OF YOUR RIGHTS
Please note that this summary applies to all relevant smaller authorities, including local councils, internal drainage boards and ‘other’ smaller authorities.
The basic position
The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (the Act) governs the work of auditors appointed to smaller authorities. This summary explains the provisions contained in Sections 26 and 27 of the Act. The Act and the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 also cover the duties, responsibilities and rights of smaller authorities, other organisations and the public concerning the accounts being audited.
As a local elector, or an interested person, you have certain legal rights in respect of the accounting records of smaller authorities. As an interested person you can inspect accounting records and related documents. If you are a local government elector for the area to which the accounts relate you can also ask questions about the accounts and object to them. You do not have to pay directly for exercising your rights. However, any resulting costs incurred by the smaller authority form part of its running costs. Therefore, indirectly, local residents pay for the cost of you exercising your rights through their council tax.
The right to inspect the accounting records
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.
When smaller authorities have finished preparing accounts for the financial year and approved them, they must publish them (including on a website). There must be a 30 working day period, called the ‘period for the exercise of public rights’, during which you can exercise your statutory right to inspect the accounting records. Smaller authorities must tell the public, including advertising this on their website, that the accounting records and related documents are available to inspect. By arrangement you will then have 30 working days to inspect and make copies of the accounting records. You may have to pay a copying charge. The 30 working day period must include a common period of inspection during which all smaller authorities’ accounting records are available to inspect. This will be 1-12 July 2024 for 2023/24 accounts. The advertisement must set out the dates of the period for the exercise of public rights, how you can communicate to the smaller authority that you wish to inspect the accounting records and related documents, the name and address of the auditor, and the relevant legislation that governs the inspection of accounts and objections.
The right to ask the auditor questions about the accounting records
You should first ask your smaller authority about the accounting records, since they hold all the details. If you are a local elector, your right to ask questions of the external auditor is enshrined in law. However, while the auditor will answer your questions where possible, they are not always obliged to do so. For example, the question might be better answered by another organisation, require investigation beyond the auditor’s remit, or involve disproportionate cost (which is borne by the local taxpayer). Give your smaller authority the opportunity first to explain anything in the accounting records that you are unsure about. If you are not satisfied with their explanation, you can question the external auditor about the accounting records.
The law limits the time available for you formally to ask questions. This must be done in the period for the exercise of public rights, so let the external auditor know your concern as soon as possible. The advertisement or notice that tells you the accounting records are available to inspect will also give the period for the exercise of public rights during which you may ask the auditor questions, which here means formally asking questions under the Act. You can ask someone to represent you when asking the external auditor questions.
Before you ask the external auditor any questions, inspect the accounting records fully, so you know what they contain. Please remember that you cannot formally ask questions, under the Act, after the end of the period for the exercise of public rights. You may ask your smaller authority other questions about their accounts for any year, at any time. But these are not questions under the Act.
You can ask the external auditor questions about an item in the accounting records for the financial year being audited. However, your right to ask the external auditor questions is limited. The external auditor can only answer ‘what’ questions, not ‘why’ questions. The external auditor cannot answer questions about policies, finances, procedures or anything else unless it is directly relevant to an item in the accounting records. Remember that your questions must always be about facts, not opinions. To avoid misunderstanding, we recommend that you always put your questions in writing.
The right to make objections at audit
You have inspected the accounting records and asked your questions of the smaller authority. Now you may wish to object to the accounts on the basis that an item in them is in your view unlawful or there are matters of wider concern arising from the smaller authority’s finances. A local government elector can ask the external auditor to apply to the High Court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful, or to issue a report on matters which are in the public interest. You must tell the external auditor which specific item in the accounts you object to and why you think the item is unlawful, or why you think that a public interest report should be made about it. You must provide the external auditor with the evidence you have to support your objection. Disagreeing with income or spending does not make it unlawful. To object to the accounts you must write to the external auditor stating you want to make an objection, including the information and evidence below and you must send a copy to the smaller authority. The notice must include:
- confirmation that you are an elector in the smaller authority’s area;
- why you are objecting to the accounts and the facts on which you rely;
- details of any item in the accounts that you think is unlawful; and
- details of any matter about which you think the external auditor should make a public interest report.
Other than it must be in writing, there is no set format for objecting. You can only ask the external auditor to act within the powers available under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.
A final word
You may not use this ‘right to object’ to make a personal complaint or claim against your smaller authority. You should take such complaints to your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau, local Law Centre or to your solicitor. Smaller authorities, and so local taxpayers, meet the costs of dealing with questions and objections. In deciding whether to take your objection forward, one of a series of factors the auditor must take into account is the cost that will be involved, they will only continue with the objection if it is in the public interest to do so. They may also decide not to consider an objection if they think that it is frivolous or vexatious, or if it repeats an objection already considered. If you appeal to the courts against an auditor’s decision not to apply to the courts for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful, you will have to pay for the action yourself.
For more detailed guidance on public rights and the special powers of auditors, copies of the publication Local authority accounts: A guide to your rights are available from the NAO website. |
If you wish to contact your authority’s appointed external auditor please write to the address in paragraph 4 of the Notice of Public Rights and Publication of Unaudited Annual Governance & Accountability Return. |
Audit Reports
The reports below are stored as PDF files - you can download a PDF reader here.
Internal Audit / Annual Governance / Accounting Statement |
Notice of exercise of public rights |
Bank Reconcilliation |
Bus service autumn 2023
Bus service
Norfolk County Council provided the following information (14/08/2023) -
Conclusion of Audit
LITTLE MELTON PARISH COUNCIL
Notice of conclusion of audit
Annual Governance & Accountability Return for the year ended 31 March 2023
Sections 20(2) and 25 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014
The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/234)
Covid-19
This page will be kept up to date with information received by the Parish Council. Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. the PC with any updates for the page.
Please call the local team at South Norfolk Council on 01508 533747 if you need help or can offer help.
Dong Wind farm Cable and the Consequences for Little Melton
Dong wish to build a new windfarm in the North Sea and National Grid want it to connect to the substation at Mangreen; this requires Dong to construct an 80m wide cable corridor from near Cromer to the substation. In order to minimise transmission losses the cable should follow the shortest route. The cables will be buried 1.2m underground in 6 trenches about 8m apart (could be 0.7m where there are obstructions). Dong have been planning the route for several years and are proposing the route shown below through Little Melton - the purple area shows a possible alternate route.
Read more: Dong Wind farm Cable and the Consequences for Little Melton
Local Plan - 2021
South Norfolk Council (SNC) is consulting on plans to build at least 1200 houses in villages similar to Little Melton, no upper limit has been set. One preferred site and two shortlisted sites, each considered suitable for 25 houses, have been proposed for Little Melton. There is also a proposal to include a small triangle of land between Ringwood and Limes Close as being within the Settlement Boundary.
Minutes
See the Calendar for the date of the next meeting
May 2024 | View |
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Newsletters
issue 47: January 2019 | View |
issue 46: October 2018 | View |
issue 45: August 2018 | View |
issue 44: April 2018 | View |
issue 43: January 2018 | View |
issue 42: October 2017 | View |
issue 41: July 2017 | View |
issue 40: April 2017 | View |
issue 39: January 2017 | View |
issue 38: October 2016 | View |
issue 37: July 2016 | View |
issue 36: April 2016 | View |
issue 35: January 2016 | View |
issue 34: October 2015 | View |
issue 33: July 2015 | View |
issue 32: April 2015 | View |
issue 31: January 2015 | View |
issue 30: October 2014 | View |
issue 29: July 2014 | View |
issue 28: April 2014 | View |
issue 27: January 2014 | View |
issue 26: October 2013 | View |
issue 25: July 2013 | View |
issue 24: April 2013 | View |
issue 23: January 2013 | View |
issue 22: October 2012 | View |
issue 21: July 2012 | View |
issue 20: April 2012 | View |
issue 19: January 2012 | View |
issue 18: October 2011 | View |
issue 17: June 2011 | View |
issue 16: March 2011 | View |
issue 15: January 2011 | View |
issue 14: October 2010 | View |
issue 13: July 2010 | View |
issue 12: April 2010 | View |
issue 11: January 2010 | View |
issue 10: October 2009 | View |
issue 9: July 2007 | View |
issue 8: April 2009 | View |
issue 7: January 2009 | View |
issue 6: October 2008 | View |
issue 5: July 2008 | View |
issue 4: April 2008 | View |
issue 3: January 2008 | View |
issue 2: October 2007 | View |
issue 1: June 2007 | View |
Parish Meeting - 2021
The PC is supposed to hold an Annual Parish Meeting in March but Covid rules don't permit that. Please see the notes below about curent PC activities and please ask any questions on the village Facebook group or contact PC members. We will hold a Zoom session on 15/03/2021 at 19:30 but would like to answer most questions before that as long Zoom meetings are not much fun for anyone - please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to attend the Zoom.
Parish Meeting - 2022
The Parish Meeting will be held at the Village Hall at 18:00 on Monday 28th March. It is a statutory requirement to hold an annual Parish Meeting in person, however because of the high levels of Covid the PC will offer an alterantive on line discussion at a later date but it won't have the legal status of a Parish Meeting. If you want to come to the meeting then please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can provide appropriate seating. Please also let us know if there are other items that you would like on the agenda for either the in person or online meeting.
Parish Meeting - 2023
Traffic Calming Plan - click to enlargeThe Parish Meeting will be held at the Village Hall at 19:30 on Tuesday 28th March. It is a statutory requirement to hold an annual Parish Meeting at which parishioners can discuss issues relevant to the village. If you want to come to the meeting then please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can provide appropriate seating. We will answer questions on the items below, Please also let us know if there are other items that you would like on the agenda. We are hoping that our local Police Constable will attend - if there are no urgent problems for him to attend to.
Parish Meeting - 2024
Traffic Calming Plan - click to enlargeThe 2024 Parish Meeting will be held at the Village Hall at 19:30 on Monday 11th March. It is a statutory requirement to hold an annual Parish Meeting at which parishioners can discuss issues relevant to the village. If you want to come to the meeting then please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so that we can provide appropriate seating. We will answer questions on the items below, Please also let us know if there are other items that you would like on the agenda.
Planning Policy
Sites offered for development in 2018
In 2014, South Norfolk Council published its Local Plan. The plan suggested that 10 to 20 houses should be built in LM over the next 10 years. The development at Ringwood Close provided 20 houses, 6 of which were 'affordable'. Subsequent developments at Limes Close and All Saints (each of 30 houses) were allowed because there was judged to be a shortfall in the housing supply for the Greater Norwich Development Area. Recently, a planning inspector overruled SNC and gave permission for 30 more houses to be built south of School Lane because the inspector considered that there was still a shortfall in the housing supply. So 110 houses will be built in LM instead of the 20 that were planned.
Road closures during June
This road closure is scheduled for June.
Traffic Calming survey results
Thank you to the 134 people that responded to the survey. 95% would like to see some form of trafic calming. A couple of people oppose traffic calming because the road is already obstructed by parking near the school - parents are encouraged to use the Village Inn car park but this arrangement is dependant on the good will of the Village Inn owners.
Tree Warden
Pippa Gunn is the volunteer Tree Warden for Little Melton - her article for the Parish Magazine in April 2018 is below. Pippa will be building on the work started by Sue Bell, who created a map of the most important trees in the village. The map also shows which trees are the subject of a preservation order.
As some of you may know, the position of tree warden for the village has been unoccupied since it left the very capable hands of Sue Bell last summer. My husband, son and I have recently moved to Little Melton and I am excited to be taking on this role. I hope to build on Sue's fantastic work by continuing the survey of the village's trees on the Google MyMap and by using County Council resources to add new native trees to open spaces. The new housing developments with their ecology zones and the expansion of the parish boundary in 2019 will provide particular focus for this. I am no tree expert, but if you have any questions or ideas with regards to any of the above, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
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Village Show
The Village Show is where people exhibit the fruits and vegetables that they have grown and the things that they have created.
Water Supply Improvements
A new pipline is planned to help with increased demand for drinking water - details are at Anglian Water. The map of the proposed route is only indicative at this time.