Community Grants
The parish council has set up a grant fund of £10,000 which is available to all local clubs and organisations subject to a few basic conditions. If your organisation is planning a special event or needs to buy a piece of equipment, please apply to the grant fund. An application form and more information can be downloaded from this page or a hard copy can be obtained from the parish council office.
Applications will be considered bi-monthly at the parish council meeting as follows:
- November
- January
- March
- May
- July
- September
Please allow at least 2 months for your application to be processed and for your grant to be paid if your application is approved.
Finance
Information about the council's budgets, financial statements and the latest annual return can be downloaded from this page.
Please note that Annual Governance & Accountability Returns are scanned documents.
Annual Budget & Precept
The financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March. The council begins its budget process in November each year. The budget takes account of repairs and maintenance work to be carried out, any capital expenditure and inflation. Each item of expenditure is examined and a calculation is made as to the expected cost of that item in the forthcoming financial year. Unspent funds at the end of the current year are also taken into account when working out the precept. The precept is the level of funding paid to the parish council by Stratford District Council and is raised from the council tax paid by local residents.
All items of expenditure are listed in the budget document which is available to download from this page. The precept for the current year, 2022/23, is £104,500.
Audit & Annual Return
The parish council has a system of internal audit. As well as a comprehensive risk assessment, there is an appointed internal auditor who tests the council's systems and conducts an audit trail of financial transactions. In addition to this, an external auditor also examines the council's accounts and practices. The latest annual audit documents are available to download from this page.
Monthly Accounts Payable & Financial Reports
The council pays its accounts monthly and these are authorised by the council at its monthly meeting. At the same time, members are provided with a report on actual expenditure to date versus budgeted expenditure. Copies of these reports are included in the minutes of the meeting and can be downloaded from the "Minutes" page.
Financial Regulations
A copy of the council's financial regulations can be found on the right of this page. This document sets out how the council should manage its financial activities, including quotes and contracts, the signing of cheques etc.
Community Grants
The parish council sets aside funds each year for grants to community organisations. Full details of who is eligible and how to apply can be found in the grants policy document at the right of this page. Applications are considered bi-monthly at the parish council meetings held in May, July, September, November, January and March. Please submit your application well in advance of the parish council meeting and ensure that you have included all the relevant supporting information.