Newsletter July 2023 - Chipping Norton Town Council

Welcome to the July edition of the Town Council’s newsletter.

New Town Councillors

At the Full Council meeting on 19th June Council co-opted two new Councillors to fill the vacancies following the recent uncontested election. The Council has now filled all 16 seats for Chipping Norton Town Council.

Cllrs Tom Festa and Emily Weaver signed the declaration of acceptance of office and joined the ensuing Council meeting. You can contact Tom and Emily or any of your Councillors here:

Councillors

Chippy Pride 2023

Chipping Norton first Pride event was a huge success. The event was attended by over a thousand people who all contributed to the joyous atmosphere that everyone valued and enjoyed. We are so grateful to everyone who helped out with organising the event, and on the day itself. We will have more photos from the event which we will publish on our website as soon as we can.

Chippy Pride 2023 #ChippyHasPride

Annual Governance and Accountability Statements

Chipping Norton Town Council approved the Annual Governance and Accounting Statements and noted the internal audit report at the meeting on the 19th June 2023.

Chipping Norton Town Council
NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF UNAUDITED ANNUAL GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 Sections 26 and 27 The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/234)
NOTICE
1.Date of announcementTuesday 20th June 2023
2.Each year the smaller authority’s Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) needs to be reviewed byan external auditor appointed by Smaller Authorities’ Audit Appointments Ltd. The unaudited AGAR has beenpublished with this notice. As it has yet to be reviewed by the appointed auditor, it is subject to change as a resultof that review.Any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of the accounting records for the financial year towhich the audit relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating tothose records must be made available for inspection by any person interested. For the year ended 31 March 2023, these documents will be available on reasonable notice by application to:
Alison Packer, RFOChipping Norton Town Council The Guildhall Chipping Norton OX7 5NJ finance@chippingnorton-tc.gov.uk 01608 642341 commencing on Wednesday 21st June 2023and ending on Tuesday 1 August 2023
3.Local government electors and their representatives also have:
•The opportunity to question the appointed auditor about the accounting records; and
•The right to make an objection which concerns a matter in respect of which the appointed auditor could either makea public interest report or apply to the court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful. Written notice of anobjection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the smaller authority.
The appointed auditor can be contacted at the address in paragraph 4 below for this purpose between the above dates only.
4.The smaller authority’s AGAR is subject to review by the appointed auditor under the provisions of the Local Auditand Accountability Act 2014, the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 and the NAO’s Code of Audit Practice 2015.The appointed auditor is:
Moore (Ref AP/HD) Rutland House, Minerva Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6PZ
5.This announcement is made by Alison Packer, RFO
LOCAL AUTHORITY ACCOUNTS: A SUMMARY OF YOUR RIGHTS
Please note that this summary applies to all relevant smaller authorities, including local councils, internal drainage boards and ‘other’ smaller authorities.
The basic position
By law, any interested person has the right to inspect the accounting records of smaller authorities. If you are a local government elector or registered to vote in the local councils’ elections, then you are able to ask questions about the accounts and object to them.
The right to inspect the accounting records
When your council has finalised its accounts for the previous financial year, they must advertise that they are available for people to inspect. You must then provide the council with reasonable notice of your intentions. Following this, by arrangement you will then have 30 working days to inspect and make copies of the accounting records and supporting documents. You may be required to pay a copying charge.
The right to ask the auditor questions about the accounting records
If you have any questions regarding the accounting records, you should first ask your smaller authority. This must be done during the 30-day period for the exercise of public rights. You may also ask the appointed auditor questions about an item in the accounting records. However, the auditor can only answer ‘what’ questions, not ‘why’ questions so is limited with their response. To avoid any confusion, it is advised that you put your questions in writing.
The right to make objections
Should you view something as unlawful or believe there are matters of wider concern in the accounts, you may wish to object. If you are a local government elector, you have the right to ask the external auditor to apply to the courts for a declaration that an item is contrary to the law and should be reported as a matter of public interest. This must be done by telling the appointed auditor which specific item in the accounts you object to and why you believe it to be unlawful or think a public interest report should be made about it. You must provide clear evidence to support your objection, and this should be done in writing and the copied to the council.
You should not use the ‘right to object’ to make a personal complaint or claim against your smaller authority. Complaints of this nature should be taken to your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau, local Law Centre or to your solicitor.
A final word
Smaller authorities, and so local taxpayers, meet the costs of dealing with questions and objections. In deciding whether to take your objection forward, the auditor must consider the cost that will be involved. They will only continue with the objection if it is in the public interest to do so. If you appeal to the courts against an auditor’s decision, you may have to pay for the action yourself.

You can view and read the internal audit report, accounts and governance statements here:

Notice of Public Rights and Publication of unaudited Annual Governance & Accountability Return 2022/2023

Cotswold Crescent Play Area

A graphic of a park saying
Cotswold Crescent
New Play Equipment
Coming this summer

Work to install the new equipment at Cotswold Crescent play area has commenced. This play area should be complete and open by the 21st July in readiness for the summer holidays!

You can see the design below:

A graphic showing a map of the new equipment

Revamp of Cotswold Crescent Play Area

Flag-flying at the Millennium Garden

Wednesday 5th July: The 75th Birthday of the NHS – The NHS logo

5th July 2023 - The 75th birthday of the NHS

The National Health Service was first established in the UK on the 5th of July 1948.

Wednesday 5th July 2023 marks an incredible milestone of 75 years of service.

We would like to show our gratitude to all health and social workers for their hard work and sacrifices over the past years, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond.

You can read more about this here:

Celebrating 75 Years of our NHS

In August we will be flying the following flags:

Monday 21st August: To commemorate the air crash that took place over Chipping Norton on 21st August 1942 – The RAF Ensign

Chipping Norton Sports Awards – 14th July 2023

Chipping Norton's 13th Annual Sports Awards
Graphic

The nominations are now closed and we have had some great applications for The Annual Chipping Norton Sports Awards, taking place on 14^th July in the Town Hall. Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate their sporting hero. We will publish photos and results in the next newsletter.

Chipping Norton Sports Awards – 14 Jul 23

We’re Recruiting!

Vacancy: Venue Assistant

Salary: Salary: SCP 7-12; £12,091-13,241 pro-rata

(£22,369-£24,496FTE)

Fixed term for 12 months.

Part time post: 20 hours per week, to include regular evening and weekend working.

Are you organised, reliable and good with people? Are you looking for a varied role, where no two days are the same? If so, you could be our new Venue Assistant.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work for Chipping Norton Town Council, one of the largest and busiest Town Councils in West Oxfordshire. The Council seeks a committed and competent person to support the Facilities and Events officer and other staff in the continued development of Chipping Norton Town Hall as a valued community space. More info and how to apply here:

We are recruiting!

Keep Chippy Beautiful

Chipping Norton Town Council recently launched the ‘Keep Chippy Beautiful’ initiative. We have heard from several residents would would like to help on organising a big clean up day. More details to follow once the group have had their initial meeting.

If you would like to be involved, please click on the link below:

Keep Chippy Beautiful – Play your part

Council Action Plan 2023-24

The Council’s Strategic Action plan was reviewed and updated by the Council’s standing committees during the most recent cycle of Council and Committee meetings. Full Council adopted the new plan at the meeting on 19th June 2023.

The key themes identified are:

A vibrant, safe and beautiful town
Improved open spaces
Improving community services
Community engagement
A modern, safe and forward thinking Council
Working in partnership

You can view the detailed action plan below:

CNTC Action Plan 2023-24

Councillors Drop-in Surgeries

Town, District and County Councillors will be holding two drop in surgeries a month. One will be in on a Weds morning in The Old Mill Cafe of West Street, and on a Saturday morning in The Chippy Larder at The Guildhall. Please do pop in to speak to your local representatives.

July dates:

Wednesday 19th July at The Old Mill from 10am – 12midday
Saturday 22th July at The Chippy Larder (Guildhall) from 10am – 12midday

An Introduction to Cllr Rachel Andrews

We will use this space to introduce new your town councillors. This month we asked Rachel Andrews to share her motivations and passion for becoming a Councillor.

“I’m really happy to have become a town councillor and am honoured that I get to share my passions with the council. After studying law at university for the last two-years, I have gained legal knowledge that will help guide me when tackling the local issues of Chippy. I have also developed a taste for activism which I hope inspires others to use their voice and stand up for what they believe in as you are never too young to be heard. I consistently make additional effort to ensure that everyone is thought of when decisions are made, regardless of financial status and am a strong advocate for considering how it may affect those from lower income households. Most importantly I think Chippy is a beautiful town that deserves to be nurtured by its community and hope that I can be a strong representative for its people.”

You can contact staff and Councillors here:

Staff Councillors

Get involved

Do you have skills or experience that might be useful in our discussions about the ECN development? Or just feel that you would like to contribute? To join the Build Chippy Better group, please contact Katherine on: deputyclerk@chippingnorton-tc.gov.uk

As part of our work in securing a Local Cycling/Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for Chipping Norton, we’re very keen to hear from people with disabilities or mobility difficulties about the areas of the town that are particularly difficult for them to navigate. Again, please contact Katherine on: deputyclerk@chippingnorton-tc.gov.uk with your views.

Dates for your diary

1st July, 11am-4pm, Chippy’s First Pride event, Chipping Norton Town Hall
3rd July, 5pm, Closing deadline for Chipping Norton Town Council’s Grants to Voluntary Bodies scheme, Round 1
3rd July, 6:30pm, Community Committee, Lower Hall or Council Chamber
5th July, 10am, Flying the NHS flag at the Millennium Garden
10th July, 6:30pm, Strategic Planning Committee, Lower Hall or Council Chamber
14th July, evening, Chipping Norton Sports Awards, Chipping Norton Town Hall
17th July, 6:30pm, Finance and Resources Committee, Lower Hall or Council Chamber
19th July, 10am, Councillor drop-in, The Old Mill.
24th July, 6:30pm, Full Council, Lower Hall or Council Chamber
27th July, 10am, Councillor drop-in, The Chippy Larder (Guildhall).
July, date TBD, Judging takes place for the annual William Fowler Allotments competition