Owing to the COVID -19 emergency and the banning of public meetings, Stratton Parish Council has had to postpone both the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, both of which were due to be held on May 12th 2020.
An Annual Parish Meeting is a meeting of all the local government electors for the Parish in which the public are entitled to attend and participate. The purpose of the meeting is so that the Parish Council can explain what it has been doing over the last year and it enables the electors to have their say on anything they consider important to the people of the Parish.
The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council is a meeting of the parish council where they look forward to the coming year, elect the chairman, make other annual appointments, review their insurance, risk management policies, etc. along with completing other statutory requirements the council is required to undertake. It is also the meeting where the previous year’s financial accounts are presented for approval and adoption.
There are timeframes for the holding of annual parish meetings of both varieties and the submission of audit and finance reports. However, this year, because of COVID-19, the government has brought in legislation to extend the timing of annual meetings and the submission of the Annual Governance Statement and Statement of Accounts of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR).
The Annual Parish Meeting should be held by 31st May but has now been extended to take place by 31st July and the AGAR returns (presented at the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council) delayed to the 30th November – although they must be approved by the parish council by 31st August.
It is hoped that this information is not too confusing!
In effect, it means that Stratton Parish Council Meetings, both the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, will, of necessity, be postponed to at least June at the earliest. As soon as it is safe to do so, Stratton Parish Council will arrange dates for both meetings and residents will be advised of the dates in the usual manner.
Take care and stay safe