A COMMUNITY council near Aberystwyth has been criticised by an auditor for failing to set a budget for two years and for “significant errors” in financial returns.

A public interest report into the council’s financial management has been critical of Tirymynach Community Council at Bow Street.

The report says that councillors need to do more to ensure the council is meeting its financial responsibilities.

Assistant auditor general Anthony Barrett said, while the council had taken some measures to improve things, it was important that issues are addressed, including setting suitable budgets, ensuring the authority’s clerk has a contract of employment, and that financial records are properly kept.

The report, which will be discussed by a full meeting of the community council at a meeting on Thursday, 27 September, found that the council failed to submit annual accounts for 2015/16 and 2016/17 on time; that there were not proper arrangements to administer the clerk’s pay and whether income tax had been properly paid, that no budget was prepared for 2015/16 and 2016/17 and no council tax precept was approved, that accounting statements for 2015/16 and 2016/17 contain errors, that the council has not been publishing all information on its website that it should, and that there is insufficient evidence to show whether the council was ensuring that information was available for inspection by members of the public.

Since making a string of recommendations, the council has said that it has taken steps to address several of the issues, including providing a contract of employment for the clerk, that training is being arranged for both the clerk and councillors and that there will be regular monitoring of the council’s budget.

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition on Wednesday