Shrivenham & Ashbury Benefice

Published on July 4, 2020

Re-opening of our Churches, resumption of Church services & gift aid on cash collections

Message from the benefice administrator

As we start to re-open our Churches for private prayer and public services, those of you that usually give a cash donation to the collection plate during the service may be planning to make a larger donation to cover a number of weeks missed.

If so, we should be very grateful if you would kindly put this larger donation into an envelope and mark it with the amount of donation and the number of weeks it is covering, please.

In this way, if we can show that the weekly equivalent of your donation is no more than £30, we will be able to claim a 25% repayment of Gift Aid from HMRC on the cash gift you have made. This is very helpful to the Church. (Please note that you do not need to be an eligible tax-payer for this claim).

The pew envelopes may be used for this purpose. You can still give anonymously but please just write on the envelope the amount and the weeks covered. Alternatively, please give each of your weekly donations in a separate envelope.

Thank you very much for your support.

Best wishes,
Lucy

Lucy Laird
Benefice Administrator
01793 783519

Annual Statutory Documents

The Parish Council (PC) is required to prepare and publish these documents following the end of each financial year. They comprise five main sections:

Certificate of Exemption

Small parish councils are exempt from a detailed annual audit by an external auditor. The definition of a ‘small’ council is annual gross income of less than £25,000; Bourton PC’s annual income falls well within this threshold. This form confirms the PC’s annual income and its exemption from an external audit.

Annual Internal Audit Report

Although exempt from an external audit, the PC’s affairs are still subject to an internal audit by a qualified individual independent of the PC. This is the auditor’s summary report.

Annual Governance Statement

This form deals with the standard of internal controls and general governance standards within the PC throughout the year.

Accounting Statements

This is the summary financial report for the PC for the financial year. It also includes commentary on any significant variances from the previous year’s financial results and a balance sheet reconciliation with bank accounts.

Notice of Public Rights

This notice sets out the rights of local electors to review and query the PC’s statutory returns, including the contact details of the internal auditor.