HOW THE PARISH COUNCIL PAYS FOR WHAT IT DOES.

Stillingfleet Parish Council gets its funding by receiving a small proportion of the local council tax which residents pay to North Yorkshire Council. This is referred to as the ‘Parish Precept’.

HOW IS THE PRECEPT CALCULATED?

The Parish Council has to forecast what funding it will need for the forthcoming year and requests this funding from North Yorkshire Council in the form of a precept tax that forms part of the local Council Tax. The amount of the Council Tax is calculated by using a somewhat complicated formula based on the number of band D equivalent properties in each parish.

The precept received by Stillingfleet for the year 2023/2024 was £6,250.

In addition to the precept in the year ending 31 March 2024 the Parish Council also received the following:

£3,458 from the Rural Payments Agency in respect of Environmental Stewardship grants for 2022 & 2023.

£481 from Wayleave rents in respect of 2022 & 2023.

The Parish Council sets a budget each year and monitors receipts and payments against that budget and uses that history and predicted future expenditure to estimate its precept requirements for the following year.  Here is the Budget predictions to 2024 year end and the budget setting process for 2024/2025

This lead to the Council requesting a precept of £6,850 for the year 2024/25.

And here is the Council’s budget for 2024/2025.

And here is the Council’s Reserves Policy.

Here is the Council’s CIL Report as at 31 March 2024.

 

HOW IS THE PRECEPT SPENT?

The main items of expenditure are maintaining the village green (cutting, baling and disposal) and providing street lighting (electricity and repairs/bulbs etc), the clerk’s salary, audit fees and other small miscellaneous payments.

Here is a breakdown of expenditure greater than £100 for the financial year ending 31 March 2024

ACCOUNTS

This link takes you to the Council’s 2023-24 Annual Governance and Accountability Return which includes the Council’s accounts for the year ending 31 March 2024.

And this link takes you to the similar document for the year ending 31 March 2023. Council’s 2022-23 Annual Governance and Accountability Return

ASSET REGISTER

Here is the Council’s Asset Register as at 31 March 2024

RISK ASSESSMENT & MANAGEMENT

Here is the Council’s Risk Assessment and Management Document as at 31 March 2024 which covers all financial risks.

THE BYELAW FIELD CHARITY.

Stillingfleet Parish Council is the sole trustee of the Byelaw Field Charity.  The sole asset of the charity is a 13.5 acre field abutting the southern bank of Stillingfleet beck a short distance to the east of the green (towards Escrick). It was established by an enclosure award made in 1756 under an Enclosure Act of 1755. The ByeLaw Field (as it is known) is a charitable trust where the Parish Council is the trustee body that owns and administers the trust.  The field is rented out for grazing each year and the rent is received by the ByeLaw Field Charity and  can only be used for charitable purposes for the benefit of the citizens of Stillingfleet.

The charity framework refers to ‘any charitable purpose’ but the classification then details the charity making grants to organisations for ‘general charitable purposes’, but specifying the elderly and other charities or voluntary bodies.

The ByeLaw Field Charity Committee decides how to spend this money, but cannot use it to reduce the general rates of Stillingfleet citizens.