Annual Council Meeting
12 May 2022
Financial Report
1. Standing Order 2.9.10 provides that at the Annual Meeting the Council shall
review the Council’s expenditure incurred under Section 137, Section 138B
and Section 142 of the Local Government Act 1972.
2. Standing Order 2.9.11 provides that at the Annual Meeting the Council shall
review the Council’s income and expenditure in respect of the Community
Infrastructure Levy.
3. Grants – The sections of the Local Government Act 1972 set out above are
the ones which provide authority for the Council to awards grants. The
Strategy, Policy and Finance Committee is responsible for administering grant
awards and in 2021/22 had a budget of £13260.00 for this purpose. The
Council has a Grant Aid policy with criteria to be met in order for an applicant
to qualify for an award of grant aid.
4. Since the requirement that applications for grant aid be made by appropriate
bodies, rather than awards being made to bodies annually regardless of need
or purpose, the number of applicants has reduced and in 2021/22 the Council
made awards totalling £4779.50, to eleven bodies which sought assistance
with their work or project. For 2022/23 the budget has been reduced to £8000
having regard to take-up over the previous several years, but notwithstanding,
the Council welcomes applications from local bodies and those operating in
the village for assistance with projects fulfilling the policy criteria.
5. CIL – In its Neighbourhood CIL Expenditure Report for 2020/21 the sum of
£13,280.69 was held and no expenditure was made in that financial year.
Ring-fenced CIL funds of that amount were thus retained and were available
in the 2021/22 financial year.
6. On 6 October 2021 the Council received a CIL Parish Payment from Babergh
District Council in the sum of £3782.15 making the total amount held for CIL
purposes as £17062.84. There was no expenditure on CIL projects in 2021/22
and accordingly the Council retains the ring-fenced balance.
7. If not used within five years, neighbourhood CIL money must be returned to
the District Council. It is therefore important that the Council gives
consideration to and supports suitable infrastructure projects during 2022/23
or the earliest sum provided by Babergh in 2017 will be reclaimed.
8. The Council has approved and published a CIL policy and CIL statement
which set out criteria against which bids for funding will be evaluated and is in
the course of preparing a Parish Infrastructure Investment Plan which will
identify the Parish Council’s own priorities for the short to medium term.