Statement of accounting policies

1. General principles

1.1. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in United Kingdom: A Statement of Recommended Practice (2007) (SORP) and the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2003. Compliance with the principal accounting policies is explained in the following notes.

2. Debtors and creditors

2.1. Sums due to, or from, the Council during the year are included in the accounts, whether or not the cash has actually been received or paid in the year - that is, on an accruals basis.

2.2. However, there are some exceptions, as follows:

· Overtime is accounted for with the basic pay with which it is paid. The total amount involved at 31 March 2008 is estimated at £3.0m (£2.9 m in 2006/07)

· electricity and other utility companies' quarterly payments are accounted for at the date of meter reading rather than being shared between financial years

· Pension Fund income includes dividends declared in the income tax year.

2.3. The above exceptions apply every year, so they do not have a material effect on the year's accounts.

3. Reserves and provisions

3.1. Specific amounts are set aside as reserves for future policy purposes or to cover contingencies. Reserves are created by transferring amounts in the Statement of Movement on the General Fund Balance. Expenditure on items for which the reserves were originally created is shown as service expenditure in the Income and Expenditure Account matched by the reserve being transferred back into the General Fund Balance statement so that there is no net charge against council tax for the expenditure. Details of variations to earmarked reserves are shown in the notes to the accounts

3.2. The main reserves are as follows:

· the General Fund balance is the surplus of revenue income over expenditure. It can be used to supplement income in future years. In the balance sheet it is shown separately from reserves that are earmarked for specific purposes

· the schools reserve is the cumulative unspent portion of schools' locally administered budgets. These were set up under the Local Management of Schools arrangements required by the Education Reform Act 1988

· the capital reserve is used to help pay for future years' capital expenditure

· The Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme Reserve contains income from the sale of surplus allowances. The reserve is to be used to reduce cost pressures from the existing waste contract and for further investment in waste infrastructure. This Government scheme operates from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2020. The scheme allocates tradable landfill allowances to each Waste Disposal Authority up to their `cap'. The Authority can use its allowances to meet its liability for actual landfill usage or sell allowances to another Waste Disposal Authority

· Public Service Agreement Reward Grant Reserve contains the cash reward from the Government for meeting the targets set in the first Public Service Agreement

· the invest-to-save and modernisation reserve is used to finance future capital and revenue investment in initiatives that are expected to generate a payback which can be recycled into the reserve

· the designated underspending reserve enables services to carry forward underspendings to aid their budgets in future years

· the insurance reserve is maintained in case the settlement of claims for past liabilities is higher than expected (including the continuing liability to meet claims in respect of former County Council services in Southampton and Portsmouth incurred before 31 March 1997) and to provide for the reinstatement of fire damage

· the trading account reserve contains the unapplied surpluses of trading units, which are retained to finance future investment in the trading units, to cover possible future losses or to provide direct benefits to customers

· The grant equalisation reserve is being used to mitigate the effect on Council tax payers of the shift in revenue support grant away from the County Council over a period which started in 2004/05

· The job evaluation implementation reserve will help to meet the transitional costs of re-structuring the County Council's pay scales caused by the national single status agreement

· The Segensworth units reserve enables annual tenant contributions towards repairs to be earmarked for periodic major repair liabilities to infrastructure

3.3. Provisions are made in respect of legal liabilities, where the amount or date of payment is uncertain. They are charged to the Income and Expenditure Account in the year they are recognised.

4. Fixed assets

4.1. All expenditure on the acquisition, creation or enhancement of a fixed asset, that yields benefits for more than one year, can be treated as capital expenditure in the accounts. Spending on IT assets and intangible assets (such as software licences) typically yields benefits for a period of less than five years. Such expenditure is capitalised only if it yields benefits of five years or more which is not in accordance with recommended practice. This does not have a material effect in the accounts

4.2. Fixed assets are valued on the basis recommended by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and in accordance with the Statements of Asset Valuation Principles and Guidance Notes issued by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Fixed assets are classified into the groupings defined in the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting:

· land, property and other assets used for service provision are called `operational assets'. They are included in the balance sheet at the open market value for their present use when there is enough evidence to support the value, or at depreciated replacement cost otherwise

· assets not used to provide services are called `non-operational assets' and include investment properties and assets that are surplus to requirements. They are included in the balance sheet at open market value

· infrastructure assets (e.g. roads) and community assets (e.g. country parks) are included in the balance sheet at historical cost net of depreciation. For this purpose, historical cost is taken to be the debt outstanding on the assets on 1 April 1994 plus expenditure since then. Vehicles and equipment and assets under construction are also valued at depreciated historic cost

· Purchased intangible assets are valued at historic cost net of depreciation)

4.3. With effect from the 1 April 2007, surpluses arising from the revaluation of fixed assets are credited to the revaluation reserve for each individual asset. In accordance with the code of practice, reductions in value can only be debited to the revaluation reserve to the value of previous revaluation gains. Otherwise they are charged to the income and expenditure account..

4.4. Revaluations of fixed assets are undertaken on a five-year rolling programme. Material changes to asset valuations will be adjusted in the interim as they occur. Capital expenditure that increases the value of assets is added to the capital values of the assets pending revaluation.

4.5. Income from the disposal of fixed assets is accounted for in the year in which it occurs and is used to finance capital payments in the year.

5. Basis of charges for use of fixed assets

5.1. In accordance with SORP 2006, a notional interest charge to represent the opportunity cost of the capital employed is no longer required in the accounts.

5.2. Depreciation charges are made on all fixed assets other than land, community, assets under construction and non-operational assets in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard tangible fixed assets (FRS 15). The depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over each asset's useful economic life as follows:

· Buildings - are mostly depreciated over 57 years provisionally assessed when FRS15 was introduced in 2000/01, but when buildings are revalued their lives are reassessed to reflect the average useful economic life of the components of the buildings as follows:

- traditional building structure 60 years

- industrial type structures 50 years

- system build and timber frame 35 years

- temporary buildings 30 years

· Roads and bridges - reflect an assessment of the useful economic lives of different parts of road structures

· New and improved highways

- major schemes 50 years - minor schemes 40 years

· Structural maintenance

- principal roads 20 years - non-principal 50 years

· Area strategies and improvements for safety 25 years

· Pedestrian facilities, street lighting and

cycling facilities 20 years

· Traffic calming 10 years

· Furniture and equipment 10 years

· Vehicles between 5 and 10 years

6. Deferred charges

6.1. Deferred charges are payments which are capitalised on the grounds that they provide long-term benefits but do not involve the creation of a tangible fixed asset or an intangible asset. They include grants to external organisations and capital spending on foundation schools.

6.2. The Council's policy is to write down deferred charges fully in the year in which they are incurred

7. Redemption of debt

7.1. The Council's borrowing for capital purposes is controlled under the CIPFA Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities. The total borrowing is expressed as the Capital Financing Requirement and is derived from the opening balance sheet.

7.2. With regard to The Local Authority (Capital Finance and Accounting)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2008, the Council's policy for 2007/08 is to make a minimum revenue provision equal to 4% of the capital financing requirement at the beginning of the year.

8. Central support services

8.1. Costs of support services are allocated over all services as follows:

· Office accommodation - on the basis of area occupied

· Central departments - on the basis of time spent on behalf of other departments, or in accordance with a basis of allocation set by a service level agreement

9. Basis of valuation

Financial Instruments

9.1. Financial instruments are shown in the Balance Sheet and relevant notes in accordance with Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) 25, 26 and 29. Investments in the Pension Fund Net Asset Statement are shown at market value at 31 March 2008.

Landfill allowances

9.2. Surplus landfill allowances are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value.

Stocks and stores

9.3. Stocks worth £2.2m are included in the Balance Sheet. There are various bases of valuation for these stocks, according to their differing natures and purposes. For example, County Supplies stock of £1.2m is valued at the latest buying price. The rest are mainly on an historical cost basis. Spending on consumable items is accounted for in the year of purchase.

10. Pension arrangements

10.1. The County Council participates in two pension schemes that meet the needs of employees in particular services. Both schemes provide members with defined benefits related to pay and service. The costs of providing pensions for employees are charged to the accounts in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 17.

11. Specific revenue Government grants

11.1. Government grants for specific purposes are included in the accounts on the basis of the relevant percentage of eligible expenditure or the total grant awarded for the year, depending upon the grant conditions that apply. These grants are shown in a separate column in the Income and Expenditure Account.

12. Capital grants and contributions

12.1. The Code of Practice provides for capital grants and contributions to be credited, initially, to a Government grant's deferred account. Amounts are released to revenue to offset the charges for depreciation on the related assets. The amount of each year's capital grants and contributions is released to revenue over the life of the assets.

13. Leasing

13.1. The Council sometimes uses operating leases for vehicles or equipment as an alternative to ownership. The rentals on the leases are charged to the Income and Expenditure account of the service that uses the assets.