Heath and Reach Parish Council Committees

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:

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 2024. This document can be viewed by visiting the table below.

Annual Governance and Accountability Return for 2023/2024.

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
Current Account @ 31.5.2025
Account Balances - 32 day notice a/c @ 31.5.2025	View statement
Account Balances - Savings a/c @ 31.5.2025	View statement
Treasurer's Account Reconciliation @ 31.5.2025	View statement
Unity Bank Reconciliation @ 31.3.2025	View statement
Year End Accounts @ 31.3.2024
ASSETS
Assets Register @ 26.4.2025				Visit the page
AUDIT
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 2024			View document
External Auditor's Report & Certificate 2023-24			View document
External Auditor's Report & Certificate 2022-23			View document
BUDGET
Budget 2025/26 @ 1/4/2025		View Budget
Budget 2024/25 @ 17.5.2024		View budget
Budget 2023/24 @ 31.3.2024		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:

The Sports and Recreation Committee maintains Thrift Road Playing Fields and Bryants Lane Sports & Recreation Ground. They make regular checks on the Trim Trail and Tennis Courts at Bryants Lane and on the playground equipment and the surrounding area at Thrift Road.

Included within the remit of the Committee is the Millennium Garden.

 

The Parish Council manages the Millennium Garden after being given to the Village in celebration of the Millennium in January 2000 by the Allotment Trustees.

Entrance to the Garden is from Bird’s Hill and Linslade Road, allowing people to walk through and cut off the corner. There are flower beds around the edges with paths winding around two island beds in the middle. The Gardens have seasonal planting, together with aromatic herbs and an assortment of shrubs.

The Sports and Recreation Committee meets regularly and at least four times a year.

The Sports and Recreation Committee consists of the following Parish Council members:

• Click click here to view the document to view the ‘Terms of Reference’ for the Sports and Recreation Management Committee.
• Click here to view the Terms and Conditions of Hire and Usage.
• Click to visit the Bryants Lane Sports Ground page.
• Click here to view and complete the electronic booking form.

For each of the meetings, we prepare an agenda that is usually available 3 days prior. After the meeting, the minutes from the previously held meeting is approved and then published. These documents are available for inspection in our repository and can be accessed by clicking here.

Other official documents relating to these Committees are also held in our documents archive.

Details of the meeting dates for the four sub-committees and the full Parish Council meeting can be found by clicking here.