The AGAR is not paperwork that can be rushed through at the last minute. If the governance statement, accounting statements, or internal audit report contain errors, the external auditor can issue a statutory recommendation or, in more serious cases, a public interest report, both of which are matters of public record for the council.
Most parish and town councils run on a small clerking team already stretched across governance, planning, and community duties. Fitting a technically correct AGAR and a genuinely independent internal audit into that workload, alongside routine bookkeeping, is where councils most often fall behind.
The AGAR is not paperwork that can be rushed through at the last minute. If the governance statement, accounting statements, or internal audit report contain errors, the external auditor can issue a statutory recommendation or, in more serious cases, a public interest report, both of which are matters of public record for the council.
Most parish and town councils run on a small clerking team already stretched across governance, planning, and community duties. Fitting a technically correct AGAR and a genuinely independent internal audit into that workload, alongside routine bookkeeping, is where councils most often fall behind.
This service suits any parish council, town council, or parish meeting responsible for its own AGAR, whether the council sits above or below the £25,000 exemption threshold.
Governance Statement and Accounting Statements prepared and ready for approval well ahead of your council meeting and the submission deadline.
An independent review of your council’s internal controls, carried out by someone with no connection to day-to-day clerking, producing the internal audit report your AGAR requires.
Section 33 VAT recovery calculated correctly for community facilities, so your council reclaims what it is entitled to without over- or under-claiming.
For councils with gross income or expenditure of £25,000 or less, we confirm eligibility and handle the certificate correctly, avoiding an unnecessary full external review.
The AGAR is the Annual Governance and Accountability Return every English parish and town council must complete after the financial year ends on 31 March. It covers the governance statement, accounting statements, and internal audit report, with a default submission deadline of 30 June each year.
If gross income or gross expenditure was £25,000 or less for the year and your council meets the exemption criteria, you can certify yourselves exempt using a Certificate of Exemption instead of a full external limited assurance review.
Yes. We carry out the internal audit review required as part of the AGAR, checking your council’s internal controls and producing the annual internal audit report your Responsible Finance Officer needs before the year-end meeting.
A clerk can manage day-to-day bookkeeping well, but the internal audit specifically requires someone independent of that role, since it exists to check the same records the clerk maintains. Combining the two roles in one person undermines the point of the review.
A late or incomplete AGAR can lead to a chaser letter and an administration charge from your external auditor, and repeated failures can result in a statutory recommendation, so it is worth building in enough time before the deadline rather than starting at the last minute.
Our team is part of Direct Assist Accountants' ACCA-regulated practice in Slough
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