Publication of Public Rights Notice

Question

Our Parish Council is not displaying the Public Rights Notice on a Notice Board or on the website, should this be reported and who to.

Answer 1

It is a requirement under Audit and Accountability Act 2014. speak to you local association of local clerks

Comments

Thank you, now on website

Answer 2

Have you spoken to the clerk to find out why the notice has not been displayed? There may be a problem that is being worked on, that is not apparent. It is easy to assume wrong doing which needs taking to a higher authority before seeking information and explanation. In a blame culture (which we are becoming) it is endemic. It is an unfortunate consequence of clerks having more and more paperwork to comply with whilst having a council seeing their fair remuneration being cut back on as a "saving" of public money.

Comments

Thanks, having spoken it is now on the website but not in the notice board.

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What is the "extra paperwork" that Clerk's have to deal with?  There is a requirement to display the notice, and a competent Clerk should have no difficulty putting the notice on a board or the website.

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Graeme, the extra paper work(meaning all required red tape regulation compliance that PC's are increasingly embroiled in) and not just in this particular instance. My point was that there may have been reasons why the posting online and on boards was not complied with which few seem to ask the basic question "why " rather than jump immediately onto the report and blame path. The clerk may have had a perfectly valid reason for failure to comply in this instance. I was always taught in problem solving the first question that is asked before you go off looking for solutions etc. is ask a simple question: "Is there actually a problem? "

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Hello Mentorman. I notice you haven't specified what the extra paperwork is, just referred to it as "Red Tape"  As far as I am aware, there are no additional returns, risk management documentation etc etc  that have to be completed or extra information that has to be published this year compared to last year or the year before.  Ossy Lass stated that she raised the matter and the notice appeared on the Parish Council website but not on the notice board.  If the Clerk had a genuine problem posting it on a notice board, wouldn't he or she have told Ossy Lass?  I think you are too eager to give the Clerk the beneft of the doubt.

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Graeme, not enough space here to list every bit of regulatory paperwork now required of a council compared to say 10 years ago and as the country has been "asleep" for the last 18 months the comparison you seek is not for a normal  period. Anyway, workload of an employee and monitoring of problems is of course one of the duties that a council takes on in employing someone as is awareness of employee performance and complaints procedures.
I have always been happy to "give the benefit of the doubt" to anyone and one of the problems of such  forums as these is that you never get the whole picture and can only comment on the information presented so effectively no definitive advice can be given out only generalisations.

Answer 3

This should be reported to the External auditor.

Answer 4

I thought it had to be displayed for a period of 30 days, which includes the first 10 working days in July? And therefore you have until 1 July to publish it? 

Comments

Do any other AGAR documents have to be displayed on parish noticeboards and the website at the same time as the Notice of Public Rights?