'FIND OUT WHAT YOUR COUNCIL
IS SPENDING ON THE EU’
2001.07.10
SANITY
Subjects Against the NIce TreatY

An action guide to help you: 
Find Out What Your Council is Spending on Europe

Do you want to express a protest about your money being wasted on promoting European integration?

Do you want to find our how much your Council is spending on breaking up Britain for the coming Euro-state?

Do you need a practical guide to doing so?

If you’ve answered Yes to these questions, this guide is for you.
It is in four parts:
Part 1		tells you your rights under the Audit Commission Act 1998 (ACA hereafter).
Part 2		explains what to look for in the Council accounts and how to go about your investigation.
Part 3		has two model letters you can use, the first to send to the council now, telling them you wish to inspect their accounts, the second to make a formal Notice of Objection.
Part 4		tells you where to get further help in carrying out your investigation, and how to feed your results in to us.

Part 1   Your Right to Inspect Council Accounts

1.  What right have I got to inspect Council accounts?
A. Once a year, you have the right to.  Each year, every local Council, whether Parish, District, Borough, City, Council or Unitary, must publish accounts and allow you the right to inspect them. You can take a fellow-elector with you if you wish to.

2. Under what legislation?
A.  The Audit Commission Act 1998 (ACA hereafter).

3. When can I do this?
A. When the council publish their annual accounts. The vast majority of Councils publish them between mid-August and mid-November. Larger Councils must put a Public Notice in the local press telling you when you can inspect the accounts.

If youre not sure when you can inspect, ring the Council Audit or Accountancy Departments and find out.
Or use our Model Letter No. 1 in Part 3 of this leaflet.

4. What am I entitled to see?
A. Section 15(1) of the ACA states: At each audit under this Act, other than an audit of accounts of a health service body, any persons interested may -
(a) inspect the accounts to be audited and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts relating to them, and
(b) make copies of all or any part of the accounts and those other documents.

5. How many days are all these documents available for inspection?
A. Fifteen full working days (not including Saturday or Sunday). This is called the Public Inspection Period

6. What is an interested person?
A. Anyone! Section  15(1) ACA says any person interested may inspect a Councils accounts. That phrase is not defined in the Act. Even if you are not an elector of the Council and dont even live in their area, you have a right to see the Councils accounts if you are interested in them. However, you can only ask questions of the District Auditor if you are an elector of the Council whose accounts you are inspecting (Section 15(2), ACA).  You might be entitled to ask questions of the District Auditor on up to three sets of accounts e.g. Parish, District and County, if you live in a rural parish. See Question 8 below.

7.  What if the Council tries to stop me seeing certain documents
A.  It is a criminal offence for anyone to try and stop you from inspecting and copying documents. Report it to the Police.  Or you could apply for a Court Order, in which case youd normally have to consult a Solicitor. The Council are allowed to stop you seeing documents which contain personal information about a member of staff (Section 15(3) ACA).

8. Who can I questions about the accounts?
A. You have a legal right to ask questions of the Councils District Auditor.  Section 15(2), ACA, states: At the request of a local government elector for any area to which the accounts relate, the auditor shall give the elector, or any representative of his, an opportunity to question the auditor about the accounts.  However, you cant ask questions about the Councils policies, finances or procedures - only about the accounts.  You can of course ask the Council about these other matters at any time. You should ask questions about facts, not opinions. If you ask an auditor if s/he thinks the Council has done something unlawful or unreasonable, they do not have to comment.  You will need to put your question in writing and as soon as possible.

9. How do I contact the District Auditor?
A.   The Council will give you his/her address. See our Model Letter No. 1

10.  What right have I got to object to the Councils Annual Accounts?
A.  You can make a formal objection to the accounts if you think any of the following apply:
(1) There is something in the accounts that the auditor should discuss with the Council
(2) There has been unlawful expenditure by the Council (either clearly unlawful or unauthorised under any enactment)
(3) A person owes money to the Council
(4) Someone has deliberately caused a loss to the Council by wilful misconduct (Sections 17(1) and 18(1), ACA)
(5) There is something the auditor should tell the public about in a public interest report. You make your objection to the District Auditor. In any of the above cases, you have to give your reasons for objecting.

11. What options has the auditor got?
A. He must reply to you and normally will give his reasons for whatever decision he makes. But in exceptional cases, he doesnt have to. You cant appeal against his decision to the Courts.

12. Who meets the cost of inspecting the accounts, and raising objections?
A. The Council - although you may have to pay reasonable charges for photocopying documents.

13. How do I make a formal objection?
A. You need a write a letter to the auditor and copy it to the Council.

14. Does the government publish a booklet on all this?
A. Yes, two:
Councils Accounts: ‘Your Rights and Local Authority Accounts’
‘The Rights of the Public (LCM 1481)’
available from:
The Audit Commission, 1 Vincent Square, LONDON, SW1P 2PN 
Tel:		0207 - 828 1212
‘e’mail:	enquiries@audit-commission.gov.UK

Two other publications from the Audit Commission are: 
‘Code of Practice March 2000’
and
‘Statements of Responsibilities of Auditors and Audited Bodies’

Part 2   How to Inspect Council Accounts and Find What you Want:

15.   So how do I use this to express my protest about spending on E.U. integration?
A. As soon as the 15-day period for inspecting the accounts begins, ask to see accounts and supporting bills, vouchers, receipts etc. for all expenditure relating to the following:
(1) Purchase of Euro-compatible computer systems
(2) Any other items related to Euro preparation, including meetings and conferences whether in the Council or outside
(3) Expenses of Members and Officers attending any meetings to discuss the Euro
(4) Fees, contributions or subscriptions payable to affiliate to regional bodies such as Regional Assemblies (ask if these are voluntary or compulsory), or any quangos with a European Union connection, pressure groups of any kind which promote the European Union and its agenda
(5) Officers employed in European-Union related jobs e.g. European Officer, or staffing Euro Info Centres
(6) Cost of maintaining Euro Info Centres or other European posts e.g. office furniture, office cleaning bills, stationery
(7) Costs of buying or renting buildings in or near Brussels or Strasbourg used by British local authorities, including any associated legal costs, staffing costs, maintenance expenditure etc.
(8) Expenses of staff attending meetings or conferences to discuss any aspect of membership of the European Union e.g. promoting Regional Assemblies and Parliaments, Euro conferences of any description, trips to Brussels for meetings, meetings with Euro M.P.s etc.
(9)  Affiliation to any subsidiary organisations or quangos of the European Union
(10)   Costs of buying or cleaning any European Union flags
(11)   Contributions made towards the cost of Town Twinning organisations or other European Union cultural exchanges
(12)   Expenses of Officers and Members attending Town Twinning functions, including travel and subsistence
(13)   Conferences on any aspect of the Euro, the E.U. Regional Assemblies etc.
(14)    Hospitality for any European Union related meetings held by the Council.

16.   How will I know where to look?
A. The Council should help you with any reasonable enquiry.  You should start before the 15-day Period of Public Inspection by contacting the Council - use our Model Letter No. 1 in Part 3.  You could show the Council this leaflet, in particular the above 14 items of expenditure you are really looking for (Answer to Question 15).  It might be helpful to arrange an appointment before the Public Inspection Period with the official who will be dealing with you.  If possible, get hold of any or all of the following before you start looking at the actual vouchers, bills, invoices etc.:
(a) The Budget Book 2000-2001 (Note, if the Council refuse to give this to you, tell them you will have to ask to see everything and that you will complain to the District Auditor that the Council is obstructing you), and/or
(b) A List of Financial Codes - every item of expenditure must be allocated to a Code. Watch out for Codes like Miscellaneous which can hide all sorts of odd items.

17.  What am I really looking for?
A. What we all wish to know are two things. First, what did your Council spend last year on the 14 items of expenditure above? - that is, on helping the E.U. become a nation in its own right, whilst ours is destroyed.  Second, how does that compare with previous years? Write down any expenditure on Europe-related matters you can find, and get photocopies of any large amounts. Ask the Council how the figures compare with last years. This is a Public Inspection Period and they are there to help you.  Most of them will do so.

18.   What can I do after Ive got all that information?
A. Write a notice of objection to the Councils accounts, objecting to any European Union-related expenditure, on the grounds that the British people only ever voted for a trading agreement with Europe and have never agreed to spend money on the European project i.e. building an integrated Euro-state.  Then copy your letter of protest to the press and issue a brief accompanying press release. See our Model Letter No. 2

19.   What if the auditor decides to take no action? A.   Content yourself with having extracted valuable information about spending on the Euro        and  E.U.-related matters, and having given the auditor some work to do, all at no        expense.  Then move on to any other way of causing problems for the enemy.

Part 3   Model Letters:

Model Letter No. 1:     Telling the Council you Want to Inspect their Accounts

To:
Director of Finance, Blackshire County Council.

Dear Sir/Madam
I wish to inspect your accounts during the Period of Public Inspection. I am especially interested in all expenditure by the Council which relates in any way to our membership of the European Union. I would be grateful if you would send me a copy of your Budget Book and your complete list of financial codes and advise me as soon as possible under which codes I may find items related to European expenditure.  Please also supply me with the name, address and telephone number of the Councils District Auditor.
I would be glad to meet with the official who will be assisting me with the inspection; please let me have an appointment. Please also inform me when the Period of Public Inspection will take place.
Yours sincerely,
                                                          A.N. Elector

Model Letter No. 2 Making an Objection to the District Auditor about the Councils Accounts

To: The District Auditor

Dear Sir/Madam:
I give you formal Notice of Objection under the Audit Commission Act 1998 
that I object to the following items of expenditure (then list them):
I object on the grounds that (1) none of this expenditure has been approved 
by the people of this country as we voted only to stay in a trading 
agreement in 1975, not a project to dismantle our nation, and we have never 
been given a say about whether we approve of all this expenditure and (2) 
that money is being spent on promoting regional government without the 
people being told that this is another part of the plan to break up our 
nation and deprive its Parliament of power.
Yours sincerely, 
                                                          A.N. Elector

Part 4    Where to get Further Information and Help

This action guide is produced by the Committee of SANITY

SANITY is an had-hoc group numbering several hundred:
who campaign to prevent the Nice Treaty being ratified by the United Kingdom, 
who also believe that Britain would be better off outside the European Union
who take campaign initiatives designed to help achieve this objective.

For general enquiries , ring 01730 – 894 355 or 01730 – 829 070.

For help, information and advice, contact:
Steve Reed, 39 The Roman Way, GLASTONBURY, Somerset, BA6  8AB
Tel:	01450 – 832 926
Fax:	08700 – 513 262.  

PLEASE NOTE:
Steve Reed is collecting your results. Please Post them to him as soon as you can - thank you.

For extra supplies of this leaflet, contact:
Tony Bennett, 66 Chippingfield, HARLOW, Essex, CM17 0DJ
Tel/Fax: 	01279 – 635 789  
‘e’-mail:	ajsbennett@hotmail.com

PLEASE COPY THIS LEAFLET AND PASS IT ON

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