Key Documents
Details of the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 along with information and documentation published by Maresfield Parish Council
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Council Documents
This section contains the main documents that relate to the organisation and operation of Maresfield Parish Council. Please contact the Clerk for any information you require that is not available here.
Remits
Local authorities are already required to make their constitution documents available for inspection at their offices under section 9P of the Local Government Act 2000. Local authorities must also, under the code, publish their constitution on their website.
Maresfield Parish Council’s Constitution includes the Remits which can be found by selecting the link below.
Standing Orders
Local authorities are already required to make their constitution documents available for inspection at their offices under section 9P of the Local Government Act 2000. Local authorities must also, under the code, publish their constitution on their website.
Maresfield Parish Council’s Constitution includes the Standing Orders, which can be found by clicking on the link below.
Council Responsibilities
This page gives access to information on Councillors’ and other responsibilities relating to Committees, Sub-Committees, working Parties, etc. which are allocated at the Annual Meeting of Council held in May each year.
Committees
AGM Sub Committees
Finances and Annual Accounts
This page gives access to information on how the Council regulates its finances, accounts statement for the previous financial year, payments during the current financial year and the adopted budget and precept for the next financial year.
Transparency
Accounting Statements
Annual Governance Statement
External Report and Certificate
Public Rights
Notice of Conclusion of Audit
Annual Internal Audit Report
Payments for Approval
Budget Precept
Grant Application Form
Grant Awarding Policy
Grants Paid
Financial Regulations
Local authorities are already required to make their constitution documents available for inspection at their offices under section 9P of the Local Government Act 2000. Local authorities must also, under the code, publish their constitution on their website.
Maresfield Parish Council’s Constitution includes the Financial Regulations which can be found by selecting on the link below.
The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 (the code) came into effect on 1 April 2015. The code is issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in exercise of powers under section 2 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, and replaces any previous codes issued in relation to authorities in England under those powers.
The code does not replace or supersede the existing framework for access to and re-use of public sector information provided by the:
- Freedom of Information Act 2000 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012)
- Environmental Information Regulations 2004
- Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005
- Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community regulations 2009
- Sections 25 and 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 which provides rights for persons to inspect a local authority’s accounting records and supporting documentation, and to make copies of them.
Freedom of Information and Publication Scheme
Maresfield Parish Council voluntarily publishes information covered by the requirements of the code relating to larger authorities.
The code requires local authorities in England to publish the following information quarterly:
Expenditure Exceeding £500
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of each individual item of expenditure that exceeds £500.
For each individual item of expenditure the following information must be published:
- Date the expenditure was incurred
- Local authority department which incurred the expenditure
- Beneficiary
- Summary of the purpose of the expenditure
- Amount
- Value Added Tax (VAT) that cannot be recovered
- Merchant category
Salary payments to staff normally employed by the local authority should not be included. However, local authorities should publish details of payments to individual contractors.
Procurement Information
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of every invitation to tender for contracts to provide goods and/or services with a value that exceeds £5,000.
For each invitation, the following details must be published:
- Reference number
- Title
- Description of the goods and/or services sought
- Start, end and review dates
- Local authority department responsible
The code requires that local authorities must also publish details of any contract, commissioned activity, purchase order, framework agreement and any other legally enforceable agreement with a value that exceeds £5,000.
For each contract, the following details must be published:
- Reference number
- Title of agreement
- Local authority department responsible
- Description of the goods and/or services sought
- Supplier name and details
- Sum to be paid over the length of the contract or the estimated annual spending or budget for the contract
- Value Added Tax (VAT) that cannot be recovered
- Start, end and review dates
- Whether or not the contract was a result of an invitation to quote or a published invitation to tender
- Whether or not the supplier is a small or medium sized enterprise and/or a voluntary or community sector organisation and where it is, provide the relevant registration number
Additionally, local authorities are required to publish the following information annually:
Local Authority Land
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of all land and building assets including:
- All service and office properties occupied or controlled by user bodies, both freehold and leasehold
- Any properties occupied or run under Private Finance Initiative contracts
- Garages unless rented as part of a housing tenancy agreement
- Surplus, sublet or vacant properties
- Undeveloped land
- Serviced or temporary offices where contractual or actual occupation exceeds three months
- All future commitments, for example under an agreement to lease, from when the contractual commitment is made
For each land or building asset, the following information must be published together in one place:
- Unique Property Reference Number
- Unique asset identity
- Name of the building/land or both
- Street number(s)
- Post town
- United Kingdom postcode
- Map reference – either Ordnance Survey or ISO 6709
- Whether the local authority owns the freehold or a lease for the asset and for whichever category applies, the local authority must list all the characteristics that apply from the options given below:
- For freehold assets:
- Occupied by the local authority
- Ground leasehold
- Leasehold
- Licence
- Vacant
- For leasehold assets:
- Occupied by the local authority
- Ground leasehold
- Sub leasehold
- Licence
- For other assets:
- Free text description eg. Rights of way, access, etc.
Grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of all grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. This can be achieved by either:
- Tagging and hence specifically identifying transactions which relate to voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations within published data on expenditure over £500 or published procurement information, or
- By publishing a separate list or register
For each identified grant, the following information must be published as a minimum:
- Date the grant was awarded
- Time period for which the grant has been given
- Local authority department which has awarded the grant
- Beneficiary
- Beneficiary’s registration number (where applicable)
- Summary of the purpose of the grant
- Amount
Code of Conduct
Local authorities are already required to make their constitution documents available for inspection at their offices under section 9P of the Local Government Act 2000. Local authorities must also, under the code, publish their constitution on their website.
Maresfield Parish Council’s Constitution includes the Code of Conduct, which can be found by selecting the link below.
Pay multiple
The code requires that local authorities must publish the pay multiple on their website, defined as the ratio between the highest paid taxable earnings for the given year (including base salary, variable pay, bonuses, allowances and the cash value of any benefits-in-kind) and the median earnings figure of the whole of the authority’s workforce. The measure must:
- Cover all the elements of remuneration that can be valued
- Use the median earnings figure as the denominator, which should be that of all employees of the local authority on a fixed date each year, coinciding with reporting at the end of the financial year
- Exclude changes in pension benefits, which due to their variety and complexity cannot be accurately included in a pay multiple disclosure
Maresfield Parish Council’s pay multiple as at 1st March 2024 is 0.9
Organisational Chart
Asset Register
Maresfield Parish Council complies with the requirements of the code by publishing the information on this website. Hard copies are available on request from the Parish Council office.
Full details of the code can be found here Local Government Transparency Code 2015