18th August 2015

AXMINSTER: Council audit two months late

by Anders Larsson

A town councillor has requested a meeting of the employment committee to assess the workload of Axminster Town Council staff after accounts were reported to be almost two months late.

The full council met on August 10th and one agenda item was labelled ‘Annual Accounts / Audit’.

Councillor Andrew Moulding studied the accompanying paperwork and said: “I’m concerned about making a decision tonight. This is the first time I’ve seen this.”

The paperwork was not made available to members of the press and public, but aspects of it were discussed by councillors.

It transpired that the accounts should have been with the auditor at the end of June, but would be accepted later.

Town clerk Hilary Kirkcaldie said the delay was caused by a heavy workload.

Councillor Graham Godbeer admitted the situation could not continue, and said: “We are aware, we are taking steps to address this.”

Councillor Susan Spiller joined the debate by saying: “In view of what the town clerk has said about being busy, can I request that the employment committee be called.

“The committee needs to look at this for the wellbeing of staff.”

The town clerk said she wanted to send the accounts on before the end of the month, so councillors needed to find a date for special meeting before that. This meeting would be called to allow councillors to read through the accounts before making any decisions.

After some deliberation, it was decided to meet last Friday (August 14th). It is understood the workload issue will be on the agenda of a future employment committee meeting.

AXMINSTER: Council audit two months late

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