Heath and Reach Parish Council Committees
Committees and their responsibilities
The Parish Council has two committees: Finance and Planning and Environment. These committees meet on an as and when required basis.
We publish an agenda at least three working days prior to each meeting. We post minutes as ‘draft’ until we have approved them at the following full parish council meeting.
All meetings are open to the public unless otherwise stated or instructed by the Chair at the time of the meeting.
The Finance Committee calculates the annual budget for the Parish Council each year. They then present this calculation to be discussed by and agreed by the full Parish Council. It is this figure which, after being agreed by Central Bedfordshire Council, is used to calculate the ‘Heath and Reach Parish Council’ element of your Council Tax bill.
The Finance Committee is responsible for controlling income and expenditure throughout the year to ensure that the Parish Council operates within the agreed budget.
The Finance Committee meets regularly, about four times a year.
The Finance Committee comprises of the following Council Members:
The Parish Clerk is the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and has no voting rights.
Click here to view the ‘Terms of Reference’ for the Finance Committee.
Notice of appointment of date for the exercise of public rights. Accounts for the year end 31st March 2025. This document can be viewed by visiting the table below.
Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2024/2025.
The audit has been concluded and a statement of accounts is available from the link below.
A copy of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return is available for purchase by any person on payment of £5 for up to five years from its publication.
Accessibility Regulations
We are aware that the Accounts and Audit Regulations requirement for a physical ‘wet ink’ signature on the original AGAR, does not allow parish council’s to fully comply with the Accessibility Regulations. The National Audit Office are aware that the two pieces of legislation are not compatible. This AGAR document is a scan and will not be fully compliant with the Accessibility Regulations.
The following table relates to the details of Budgets, Accounts Parish Assets and Independent Audits carried out on behalf of Heath and Reach Parish Council. Each download link will open in a new window and is viewable using a pdf reader.
Finance Reports - Heath and Reach Parish Council
The following document links relate to Accounts, Budgets, Parish Assets and Independent Audits carried out behalf of Heath and Reach Parish Council. Each download link will open in a new window and some can be viewed using a PDF reader.| Description | Accounts | Budget | Audit | Assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACCOUNT SUMMARIES | ||||
| Account Balances - 32 day notice a/c @ 28.2.2026 | View statement | |||
| Account Balances - Community @ 28.2.2026 | View statement | |||
| Account Balances - Savings @ 28.2.2026 | View statement | |||
| Year End Accounts @ 31.3.2025 | View document | |||
| ASSETS | ||||
| Assets Register @ 26.4.2025 | Visit the page | |||
| AUDIT | ||||
| Notice of Appointment of the date for the exercise of Public Rights. Expired 14.7.2025 | View document | |||
| Annual Internal Audit Report 2024/25 | View report | |||
| Annual Internal Audit Report 2023/24 | View report | |||
| Notice of the conclusion of the Audit - Annual Return for the year ended 31st March 2025 | View document | |||
| Annual Governance and Accountability Statement (AGAR) 2024-2025 | View document | |||
| Annual Governance and Accountability Statement (AGAR) 2023-2024 | View document | |||
| External Auditor's Report & Certificate 2023-24 | View document | |||
| External Auditor's Report & Certificate 2022-23 | View document | |||
| BUDGET | ||||
| Budget 2026/27 @ 1.4.2026 | View budget | |||
| Budget 2025/26 @ 1.4.2025 | View budget | |||
| Budget 2024/25 @ 17.5.2024 | View budget | |||
The Planning and Environment Committee meets on an as and when required basis, following the monthly meeting of the Parish Council. The committee checks all planning applications within the parish boundaries and passing comments back to Central Bedfordshire Council, who make the final decisions.
This committee meets regularly with the managers of the local quarries to discuss ongoing events and also liaises with the local P3 group* who maintain the footpaths around the village.
* Currently, this group is inactive. Cllr. Helen Loomes is in the process of developing a new group – 21st May 2024.
You can view the planning applications and their progress submitted to Central Bedfordshire Council by clicking on the following link – planning applications and appeals
We have produced a list of current planning applications for your perusal. We update this list on a weekly basis and are viewable by visiting – Heath and Reach Planning Applications.
To view the ‘Terms of Reference’ for the Planning and Environment Committee, visit Terms of Reference
The Planning and Environment Committee comprises the following Parish Councillors:
Co-opted unopposed: 7th July 2025 The Parish Clerk acts as an Officer to the Committee only and has no voting rights.
Other official documents relating to these Committees are also held in our documents archive.
