WHO WE ARE

Established in 1947, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is a membership organisation and the only national body representing the interests of local (parish and town) councils. NALC works with county associations to support, promote and improve local councils.

Please find out more about how we work and our mission.


WHO CAN JOIN

England's current 10,000 local and newly created councils can join via county associations.


WHAT WE DO

NALC provides a national voice for local councils across England. We campaign on their behalf, raise awareness of their work and provide them with various services to support their needs. These services include lobbying the national government to get the best legislative deal for local councils; providing specialist technical, legal and financial advice to member councils; organising events for member councils; providing up-to-date guidance on national and legal developments; and sharing good practices between specific local council networks on a range of service areas.


WHY JOIN

NALC operates at a national level to represent local councils. NALC provides several services:

  • Campaigning – lobby for the issues important to local councils and communicate those views to the government and various influential private, charity and public organisations.
  • Legal, accounts and audit advice – Written, telephone and digital advice from NALC's well-experienced solicitors.
  • Information on current legislative developments.
  • Publications – Access to The Good Councillor's guide suite covering topics such as being a good employer, community business, cyber security, finance and transparency, neighbourhood planning, and transport planning.
  • Conferences, events and training – NALC's national events and training sessions are opportunities to bring our diverse membership together to learn about new or topical initiatives and share ideas.
  • Publicity – Raise the profile of local councils and the sector beyond a regional level.
  • Media – Guidance on how to deal with media crises, how to deal with reporters and media outlets and writing a media policy.
  • Standards, awards and recognition – Year-round opportunities for local councils to take up the chance to celebrate and be recognised for achievements through the Local Council Award Scheme and the Star Council Awards.

Find out more about the NALC membership benefits


HOW TO JOIN

Becoming a member of NALC is an easy process. Contact your county association. Membership of your county association will also give you automatic membership to NALC.

NB: You cannot be a member of NALC without being a member of your county association.

Join your local county association — find your county association.


COSTS

NALC will charge 7.71p per elector for the 2023/24 financial year for membership. Membership fees will be capped at a maximum of £1,978 per larger council for the 2023/24 financial year. This cost will be added to your annual county association membership fee.

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