Year End & Transparency - councils under £25,000

This course is for clerks/RFOs and employees who want to understand how to prepare their council’s Annual Governance & Accountability Return (AGAR) and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

The course covers the stages of the AGAR approval and publishing as well as ensuring publication of the information required by the Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities, compliance with the Accounts & Audit Regulations and exemption from audit.

This session does NOT cover councils spending over £25,000 that submit their accounts for audit. Please see the course, Year End & Audit - councils over £25,000, for those topics.

Topics include:
• Closing the accounts
• Exemption from external audit
• Internal audit
• Reviewing internal control
• The Annual Return
• Electors rights
• Transparency and publication requirements

By the end of this session you will:
• Be able to identify the steps needed as part of the year-end process
• Understand how to close the council’s accounts
• Understand how to complete the Annual Return
• Be able to correctly allow the exercise of electors’ rights
• Be able to identify the information a small council must publish

On the day

Steve is a former Town Clerk and an accountant with 30 years’ experience in public sector finance, who specialises in advice and training for the local council sector.