Year-end & transparency - councils under £25,000

Course Description

This session introduces the Annual Return and the stages of the audit process, enabling you to complete all the relevant steps correctly and is  specifically aimed at councils under £25,000 wanting to claim exemption.

This is an interactive course and offers the opportunity to network with other clerks and finance officers from Councils across England to share best practice and ideas.

Key areas covered in this course include:

• Closing the accounts

• Exemption from external audit

• Internal audit

• Reviewing internal control

• The Annual Return

• Electors rights

• Transparency and publication requirements

By the end of this session you will:

• Be able to identify the steps needed as part of the year-end process

• Understand how to close the council's accounts

• Understand how to complete the Annual Return

• Be able to correctly allow the exercise of electors' rights

• Be able to identify the information a small council must publish

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Who Should Attend
For officers to  councils under £25,000 wanting to claim exemption and  who want to understand how to prepare their council's Annual Governance & Accountability Return and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

Cost  (per delegate)

£35 +VAT Members
£70 +VAT Non Members



Course tutor

Steve Parkinson

Partner, Parkinson Partnership 

Steve is an AAT Licensed Accountant and is a former Town Clerk with 30 years' experience in public and voluntary sector finance. He now specialises in delivering training and advice on VAT and finance matters for the local council sector. 




There are alternative sessions for:

Year-End & Audit - Accounts (over £25,000)


Training & Events: Terms and Conditions