The community of Deptford, London are looking to join thousands of other areas and bring power to local neighbourhoods by handing in a petition on 19 July 2016 to Lewisham Borough Council to create a new local (parish and town) council in the locality.
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Dunstable Town Council is one of the largest town council’s in the country. Employing over 80 staff with a revenue budget of over £3m, the council is at the forefront of the local government sector that is increasingly delivering quality of life services that principal authorities are no longer able to provide.
The National Association of Local Council’s (NALC) sends a ‘best practice’ delegation to find out how Dunstable Town Council is improving quality of life services for residents and visitors to Dunstable.
The Great British High Street Competition is a Government and business-led initiative which celebrates our nation’s much-loved high streets. Now in its third year, it showcases the people, businesses and partnerships that are putting their high street at the heart of their communities.
NALC’s fringe event, Devo Local, held on 6th July, at the LGA Annual Conference in Bournemouth demanded that any devolution of power must begin with community involvement.
Locality, the national network of community-led organisations, and NALC are urging local (parish and town) councils to help tackle the housing crisis by encouraging communities to build their own homes.
Local (parish and town) councils throughout the UK are being invited to support a campaign to raise public awareness of our island nation’s dependence on Merchant Navy seafarers.
New guidance for parish councillors on good employment practice has been published by the National Association of Local Councils.
The National Association of Local Councils is heading to the LGA Annual Conference between 5 and 7 July 2016.
Newport Pagnell Town Council won not just one but two major awards recently given out by the prestigous Planning Magazine.
Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local (parish and town) council sector.
Last week, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Civic Societies and APPG on Local Democracy hosted a joint meeting in Parliament. The secretariat for these all party parliamentary groups are provided by NALC and Civic Voice respectively.
The town of Bracknell is rated as one of the best places to live, work and play in the country, with a new £200m town centre the Lexicon opening in Spring 2017, this trend is long to continue. The town was recently awarded the accolade of Town of the Year at an awards ceremony held within the Thames Valley.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Civic Societies and APPG on Local Democracy will host a joint meeting in Parliament on Tuesday, 7th June 2016. In light of the recent National Planning Policy Framework, the event will be asking ‘Is the Planning System working?’
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) will be considering Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) proposals to separate their trade union and professional association roles at NALC's Executive Committee on 7 June 2016 and then at National Council on 28 June 2016.
A share of £90m funding for seaside resorts is up for grabs.
Blandford Forum Town Council has an estimated population of 10,541 with approximately 4,806 dwellings in 409 hectares of land. The town council has 16 councillors and 15 members of staff. It supplements the provision of local government services and provides a range of social and recreational facilities, while promoting and representing the town with other national and statutory bodies.
Today it seems that devolution is about devolving power from central to principal local government.
NALC welcomes the new agreement for a pay deal for local council officers and workers.
Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local (parish and town) council sector.
Stirchley and Brookside is a diverse parish with densely populated areas within the Brookside Avenue ring road, estates and larger properties in Stirchley and Holmer Lake as well as listed buildings in Stirchley Village. There are two local centres and good links to the town centre. The extensive green network including the Madebrook Local Nature Reserve and Holmer Lake are highly valued by residents.
Campaigners are urging Government to back up its pledge to give added strength to neighbourhood planning. After a debate on the Housing and Planning Bill on Monday (9 May).
NALC's Policy Committee met on 10 May 2016 and formally agreed to adopt a position for parish councils to become statutory consultees on all aspects of Temporary Events Notice applications.
Chippenham is the largest market town in Wiltshire and forecasted to continue to grow over the coming years. Its great location and excellent transport links makes it a popular area to live. A recent £21m redevelopment of the Wiltshire College campus, £705k refurbishment to create a new Neeld community and arts centre, rail electrification, first year of Chippenham Business Improvement District (BID). The town is committed to building on this potential.
Two weeks ago the Lords voted in favour of an amendment to the Housing and Planning Bill to introduce a neighbourhood right of appeal.
Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local (parish and town) council sector.
Whitwick is an ancient village mentioned in Domesday Book. It lies between Coalville, an industrial revolution mining town, and the rural Charnwood Forest.
Following campaigning by NALC, the Housing and Planning Bill was recently amended in the House of Lords to include a new clause giving parish and town councils a limited right of planning appeal.
The NALC Larger Councils Committee met on 26 April 2016 and called for larger local councils in England to make good quality proposals to solve national policy problems they are facing – using the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.
NALC this week backed the Rural Coalition’s support of the government’s intention to respond positively to the cross political party concerns for safeguards for rural affordable housing raised during the passage of the Housing and Planning Bill in the House of Lords.
Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local (parish and town) council sector.
The parish of Yate is located in South Gloucestershire – approximately 11 miles from the City of Bristol. The parish has a population of over 22,000 people, represented by 17 councillors.
This jointly delivered event on 1 June 2016 from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Local Government Association (LGA) will explore the opportunities devolution presents for principal and local councils to work more collaboratively.
East Peckham is a rural village between within the borough of Tonbridge and Malling, Kent and is twinned with Chereng in the Nord de Par de Calais region. The village has approximately 1,200 homes with 3,500 residents and continuing to expand. The council includes its own Jubilee Hall, educational facilities and a vibrant village centre. There is a network of paths and cycle ways that connect the commercial and residential parts of the village.
Scores of MPs lined up in Parliament yesterday to signal their support for England’s localist powerhouse during a Lobby Day organised by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).
The Chancellor's recent Budget announced in Clause 2.125 that 'the government will allow local authorities in England to use their discretionary relief powers to support publicly owned public lavatories from 1 April 2018', which at a time of austerity and devolution is seen as a triumph by both local (parish and town) councils and national bodies.
Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local (parish and town) council sector.
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has today (announced that it will be running its second Star Councils awards in 2016, following the success of the first year of the programme in 2015.
Cllr Mike Evans from Whiteley Town Council has joined a high profile panel of local government experts on the Councillor Commission as 'parish commissioner'.
Budget 2016 announcement could signal end to parish councils paying ‘toilet tax’
The Government's National Living Wage (NLW) comes into force on 1 April 2016. It replaced the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for all workers aged 25 and over.
The Practitioners’ Guide (‘the guide’) has been published by the Smaller Authorities Proper Practices Board to support the preparation by local (parish and town) councils of statutory annual accounting and governance statements.
New rules have been introduced at the beginning of this year in the effort to improve water quality and reduce pollution.
The planning system is unfair. It is one of the few decision-making processes that gives no right of appeal to affected third parties.
Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local (parish and town) council sector.
Jonathan Owen, chief executive of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) said: "This is a bittersweet budget for councils at all levels with positive steps forward on devolution countered by a further reduction in spending on public services.
National Association of Local Councils (NALC) in partnership with the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) and the Association of Drainage of Authorities (ADA) welcomes that the Government has committed to continue supporting the multi-million pound ‘transparency fund’ to help thousands of small parish councils meet new audit and transparency rules and join the digital age.