NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF DATE FOR THE EXERCISE OF ELECTORS’ RIGHTS
ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2008

Audit Commission Act 1998 Sections 15 and 16
The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/533) as amended by the Accounts and Audit (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/564)

1. 16th April 2008

2. Each year Wellington Town Council’s annual return is audited by an external auditor appointed by the Audit Commission. Any person interested has the opportunity to inspect and make copies of the annual return and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts etc relating to them. For the year ended 31st March 2008 these documents will be available on reasonable notice on application to: Tony Brown, town clerk, at the Council Community Office at 30 Fore Street, Wellington between the hours of 9.30am and 4pm Monday to Friday commencing on 1st May 2008 and ending on 30th May 2008

3. Local Government Electors and their representatives also have:
• the opportunity to question the auditor about the accounts. The auditor can be contacted at the address in paragraph 4 below for this purpose on 2nd June 2008 and after that date will be available at the address given in paragraph 4 below until the audit has been completed; and
• the right to attend before the auditor and make objections to the accounts or any item in them. Written notice of an objection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the town council.

4. The council’s audit is being conducted under the provisions of the Audit Commission Act 1998, the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003 and the Audit Commission’s Code of Audit Practice. Your audit is being carried out by:
Moore Stephens
Chartered Accountants
30 Gay Street,
Bath BA1 2PA Tel: 01225 486100

5. This announcement is made by Tony Brown, town clerk

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COUNCIL TAX UNCHANGED FOR NEARLY A DECADE

Wellington Town Council has agreed to leave its council tax the same which means it has remained unchanged for nearly a decade.

Councillors approved an unchanged council tax of £16.50 for Band D properties at their budget meeting resulting in a ninth year in a row that the tax had remained at this level. The last increase was in 1999 when it went up from £15.89.

Town Council Chairman Councillor Dave Mitton said: “I have great pleasure in announcing the council has agreed to once again keep its council tax unchanged which it has done so for the last nine years.

“This has been achieved through the careful stewardship of the taxpayers’ money.”

Members were keen to prevent an increase in the town council tax particularly as there were proposed increases in council tax for both Somerset County Council and Taunton Deane Borough Council.

The council’s proposed spending for 2008-09 included: £19,000 for grants and subsidised hospital car service, £11,000 for CCTV or crime reduction measures, £10,000 for Christmas lights, £8,000 for footpath clearance and street lighting and £5,000 for Wellington Food Town.
The report of the town clerk Tony Brown recommending a precept of figure of £76,670 was accepted by the council whose balances at the end of March 2009 are likely to be just over £84,500.