Questions about town and parish councils
Follow Councillor Q&A on X/Twitter

Follow us on X/Twitter

0 votes
The RFO is required to have draft budgets ready by the end of November each year at the latest.  Draft budgets are not available.  What action can be taken?
by (1.5k points)

2 Answers

+1 vote
Is that a specific requirement in your standing orders / financial regulations?  If so, then it would be a disciplinary matter if they are not performing their duties as required.  if they are not in your SO / FR then there is no legislative requirement for draft budgets to be ready for November only that they have to be approved before the start of the financial year on the 1st April....
by (24.0k points)
The FRs state:  "The RFO must each year, by no later than the end of November, prepare detailed estimates of all receipts and payments including the use of reserves and all sources of funding for the following financial year in the form of a budget to be considered by the Finance & Staffing Committee and the Council."
0 votes
It may be that your RFO was unaware of this line in the Finance Regs, or that he/she is experiencing some difficulty in complying.  Is there a designated member of the Council assigned to support this process?  The end of November seems very early for a completed draft budget.  This is something I normally include in January's agendas.
by (52.9k points)
I agree with DavetheClerk.  The budget should be started in November but should be an agenda item until the New Year as it is the responsibility of Councillors to suggest projects and an action plan and not the Clerk to pluck figures out of the air.  To expect a completed budget, 5 months before it is implemented is unrealistic and could miss a lot of new projects off the list for the sake of an arbitrary date.

Welcome to Town & Parish Councillor Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community. All genuine questions and answers are welcome. Follow us on Twitter to see the latest questions as they are asked - click on the image button above or follow @TownCouncilQA. Posts from new members may be delayed as we are unfortunately obliged to check each one for spam. Spammers will be blacklisted.

You may find the following links useful:

We have a privacy policy and a cookie policy.

Clares Cushions logo Peacock cushion

Clare's Cushions creates beautiful hand made cushions and home accessories from gorgeous comtemporary fabrics. We have a fantastic selection of prints including Sophie Allport and Orla Kiely designs and most covers can be ordered either alone or with a cushion inner. Buying new cushions is an affordable and effective way to update your home interior, they're also a great gift idea. Visit our site now

2,894 questions
5,615 answers
7,948 comments
10,027 users
Google Analytics Alternative