09. Financial Audit 1983-92

Gathering The Data

The records from the period are sufficiently detailed to allow a full reconstruction of income and expenditure relating to the construction of the new Village Hall.

Parish Council minutes record expenditure line by line. These entries can be cross-checked against bank records, annual accounts, and charity records. Taken together, these sources provide a consistent and internally verifiable account of how funds were received and applied.

In 2023, a detailed review of these records enabled the creation of a complete audit trail for Phase One of the project (the construction phase outlined in Form 14), together with a clear indication of the subsequent Phase Two works.

The audit trail reconciles in full. Income and expenditure for Phase One balance exactly to the penny across the underlying records, with no residual difference.

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Phase One Audit

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The reconstructed ledger accounts for each transaction and reconciles income and expenditure across Parish Council and Village Hall Charity records.

Phase One expenditure totals £229,088.15, comprising:

• approximately £196,000 in construction costs
• approximately £33,000 in land purchase and associated costs

The figures reconcile across multiple sources, including minutes, accounts, and bank records, exactly to the penny.

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Phase Two – Subsequent Works

Following completion of the initial build, further works were undertaken. The figures below are drawn from Social Club annual meeting minutes, which record approximate amounts spent:

• Approx. £70,000: extension of the main hall and provision of Parish Council office space
• Approx. £30,000: construction of a Multi-Use Games Area
• Approx. £30,000: installation of floodlighting at Mulberry Park
• Approx. £7,500: car park repairs
• Approx. £2,500: additional equipment

These works were carried out over the next two years, completing the wider vision for the site.

The records indicate that a substantial proportion of this phase was funded through profits generated by the Social Club, alongside further grant funding.

Records from the period indicate that expenditure on car park repairs (approx. £7,500) was met from Village Hall Charity resources (Social Club profits covenanted to the Charity). Parish Council minutes from the same period refer to the car park works being arranged. The Charity’s 1992 AGM minutes, shown below, also record that “this matter was being dealt with by the Parish Council.”

These records describe the same works from different administrative perspectives.

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Summary of Funding Sources

Across both phases, the combined expenditure is approximately £355,000, with funding sources recorded as:

• Village Hall Charity (including sale proceeds, Social Club income, and general funds): £193,960
• South Norfolk District Council grants: £70,120
• Residents (via Parish Council rates and funds): £77,833
• HMRC (VAT recovered): £11,675
• Scouts contribution: £1,500

These figures are derived from the consolidated audit trail and associated records.

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Contemporary Record

At the Village Hall Charity AGM in July 1992, the outcome of the project was recorded as follows:

“Hall Complex worth £350,000”

This reflects the position at the point when the main phases of construction and extension had been completed.

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Relationship to Earlier Declarations

The financial structure evidenced in the audit trail corresponds with the funding framework set out in Form 14.

The records show:

• proceeds from the sale of the old hall applied to the new project
• funds raised through Parish Council rates and assets applied to the same project
• grant funding received and applied to construction and related works
• VAT recovered on qualifying expenditure

These elements align with the sources of income declared to the Charity Commission in advance of the project.

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Implementation

The records also show that:

• the loan secured for construction was repaid in full
• expenditure proceeded in accordance with the permissions granted
• the project was completed without interruption to the charity’s operation

The minutes and accounts from the period reflect a sustained period of activity, resulting in the construction and subsequent development of the current Village Hall.

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Notes on Records

The documentation from this period is extensive and internally consistent. It includes:

• detailed minutes
• bank records
• annual accounts
• supporting correspondence

Where minor uncertainties arise (for example, timing of specific transfers), these do not affect the overall reconciliation of totals, which match across independent records.

Phase Two was funded primarily from Social Club profits and grant funding. Parish Council minutes record that a £30,000 balance (remaining after Phase One), derived from parish rates raised for the Village Hall project, was re-allocated to other parish priorities rather than being applied to Phase Two.