Finance
Finances are reviewed monthly by the Finance & Administration Committee and are then presented to Full Council every month (expect August when there is no Full Council meeting). At each meeting, Council reviews all financial documents and spend within the previous month and against the budget.
Strict financial reviews are in place to ensure there is complete transparency with all Parish finances.
An interim, internal and external audits are completed each year. Electors are permitted to review the accounts of previous years. Notes for electors, the dates of inspection as well as the financial documentation (unaudited) can be found here.
Precept for 2024-25
The current precept for the financial year 2024/25 is £113,198. After a period of two years where the precept hasn’t increased, this demonstrates an increase of 7% year on year or 5.4% in real terms. The Parish Council will continue to use the precept to continue to fund projects including traffic calming measures, parish wide grass cutting contracts, management of the car park and public conveniences as well as other projects as outlined in the agreed business plan.
The precept is calculated by looking at the cost of projects and initiatives for the coming year along with basic costs to run the council. The calculation for each household is based on a Band D house and is precept divided by council tax base = Band D equivalent cost.
The 2024/25 Burwash Parish calculation is £113,198 divided by £1,276.43 = £88.68 per band D household.
The Council is always exploring cost-effective methods for delivering services and projects within the Parish and will continue to do so. Click here to see the Financial Regulations under which the Parish Council operates.
Annual Budgets
Each year the Parish Council works with the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) to develop a budget for the key projects and overheads and to ensure that the expenditure does not go over the precept. The Council also maintains a general reserve, normally six months of operating costs, as well as Earmarked Reserves designed to cover one-off and longer term projects. Budgets are prepared in draft from October with discussions at Full Council and a resolution in December / January to fix the precept for the following year.
To view the budgets please click the link below.
Financial Regulations
Burwash Parish Council has adopted an agreed set of Financial Regulations that apply to all activities involving spending. The Financial regulations are reviewed annually to ensure that they are up to date. To view the Financial Regulations, please click here.
Section 137
In meetings and in reports, councillors or the Parish Clerk will sometimes refer to Section 137 expenditure. This is a section of the Local Government Act of 1972 which allows councils to spend money in a way which is “in the interests of and will directly benefit its area or any part of it and some or all of its inhabitants”.
Section 137 is used when no other specific power is available and can be used for expenditure on such things as grants to voluntary bodies, fund raising events, organisations providing not for profit public services, and to contribute to charities and disaster appeals. Other examples include village histories, plaques, prizes, landscaping and flower shows. Section 137 expenditure is limited each year by a formula which multiplies the number of electors in the Parish by a set amount per parishioner. The current amount set by the The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities for 2023/2024 is £9.93.
Expenditure over £500
The Local Government Transparency Code requires local authorities to publish details of individual items of expenditure above £500, on a quarterly basis. Click below for recent payments.
| Document Title |
 01-04-24 to 01-11-24 |
| 01-08-2023 to 31-03-2024 |
| 01-04-2023 to 01-08-2023 |
| 2022-23 |
| 2021-2022 |
| Quarter 2 2020-21 |
| Quarter 1 2020-21 |
| 2019-20 |
 2018-19 |
| 2017-18 |
| 2016-17 |
Salaries & Pay Multiple
The Local Government Transparency Code requires local authorities to publish details (including job descriptions, responsibilities, budgets and staff numbers) of any senior employees earning over £50,000 per annum.
Burwash Parish Council has no staff member earning over £50,000 per annum.