News

People and trees are stronger together – but our nation’s woods and trees are facing unprecedented pressures. They risk being neglected, undervalued and forgotten. We need to act now before trees disappear from our story.

Fields in Trust, has announced the winners of its 2015 Awards. Hosted by BBC sports and news broadcaster Ore Oduba at Lords Cricket Ground, the Awards celebrate the achievements of Fields in Trust and its partners, who have worked over the last year to ensure that everyone has access to protected outdoor recreational space.

National Association of Local Councils' (NALC) Communities Can conference on 2 December 2015 showed how local (parish and town) councils are using regeneration to play a role in the economic development of their town centres in a time of financial challenges and opportunities.

Parishes across Buckinghamshire are being urged to work together and more closely with the county council to serve residents. 



While this is a challenging spending review for local government, it is encouraging to see measures aimed at supporting devolution, however the devil will be in the detail.

The government confirmed that there must be a role for parishes and communities within combined principal local authorities devolution deals.

The government's minister for the 'northern powerhouse’, James Wharton MP, will address a cross-party group of MPs and Peers.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Annual Conference held from 27 October 2015 to 28 October 2015, saw a direction for putting local (parish and town) councils and communities more in control of how their lives are run and public services delivered to them.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has announced the winners for its Star Councils Awards.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) minister, Marcus Jones MP told the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Annual Conference on 27 October 2015 that the Government has ambitious plans for a devolution revolution, which include Devolution Deals, but stressed that this not just for principal authorities. He said that parish councils have a key role to play and they should be speaking to their principal authorities about opportunities for further powers and functions to be devolved.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) on 23 October 2015 issued guidance in light of the significant changes to workplace pensions that have taken place.

The Sector Led Body for Smaller Local Authority Audit (SLB) is seeking to appoint its first ever chair.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has demanded that the Government puts a halt to its closure plans of local courts.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) on 9 October 2015 demanded that Government’s devolution plans must include communities, neighbourhoods and parishes through the publication of its Devo Local paper.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has today (30th September) announced the finalists for its Star Councils Awards.

This year a record breaking 1,582 parks and green spaces were awarded the prestigious, international Green Flag Award.

Over many years there has been much discussion about whether the Association’s members should be individual councils organised through County Associations or whether it should become a federation of County Association members. This proposal was most recently made in a motion to last year’s AGM by Northamptonshire CALC which was defeated by 54 to 24 votes.

Today (1 September 2015) the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has launched its new multi-million pound ‘transparency fund’ to help thousands of small parish councils meet new audit and transparency rules and join the digital age.

NALC successfully persuaded the Government to provide financial assistance to smaller sized parish councils to help them become web-enabled and comply with new rules on publishing information about their work and finances.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is encouraging all local (parish and town) councils, neighbourhoods and communities to enter The...

Half a million people in communities right across the country are to benefit from new funding and advice this year thanks to their local parish and town councils.

Details of a £5m fund to conserve and protect war memorials were revealed by Prime Minister David Cameron and Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid MP.

Scotland's local government and community empowerment minister Marco Biagi is to visit the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) during a 'fact finding' visit on 28 July 2015.

Devolution to Sutton Coldfield is on the cards as residents deal resounding ‘Yes’ to new town council.

The Government has backed a proposal from the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) to lead the national procurement of audit for parish and town (local) councils and other smaller bodies from 2017.

The National Association of Local Councils’ (NALC) What Next for Local Councils event, 15 July 2015, looked at the implications of the general election results for communities, neighbourhoods, local (parish and town) councils in the context of austerity and devolution.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) sent its larger councils committee to come on board at Falmouth, Cornwall, and visit this historic town in a fact-finding mission on Tuesday 7 July 2015. Falmouth is situated on the south coast of Cornwall and is one of the county’s most diverse, vibrant and largest towns.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) chief executive, Jonathan Owen, said: “England's 9,000 local (parish and town) councils are the backbone of local democracy, giving people a voice and structure for taking action. They are increasingly delivering more services to improve their area as austerity bites. They can provide very local services extremely cost effectively and should be part of the solution to the financial challenges the country faces.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) warmly welcomes that its ongoing campaign to protect local (parish and town) councils’ investments and savings has finally succeeded.

England's parish councils are the unsung heroes of neighbourhood planning and key to putting communities in control of shaping future development and housing, according to their umbrella body the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

Starting on 9 July 2015, the Display Energy Certificates (DECs) will be required for all buildings over 250 square metres occupied by a public authority and frequently visited by the public. The threshold for requiring these certificates was prior to this change 500 square metres.

Scores of MPs lined up to signal their support for England’s ‘localist powerhouse’ yesterday during a ‘lobby day’ organized by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories on the local (parish and town) council sector

NALC welcomes the availability of DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) Big Energy Saving Network (BESN) grant funding programme for parish and town councils

England’s 9,000 parish councils are marching on the Houses of Parliament on 30 June 2015 in a ‘lobby day’ to meet with Members of Parliament.

Scores of local (parish and town) council representatives from across the country will be descending on Westminster as part of the first ever ‘lobby day’ by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) aimed at raising the profile of our most local level of government.

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) supports calls from parish and town councils for the government to reconsider proposals for exempting these councils for paying business rates on the important neighbourhood matter of public toilets.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) would like to congratulate individuals from the parish and town councils sector on being recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

On 8 June 2015, the chairman of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) sent an open letter to all English Members of Parliament, calling on them to support the nation's 9,000 local (parish and town) councils and meet with parish councillors during their Lobby Day on 30 June 2015.

The National Association of Local Councils' (NALC) Digital Councils event on 21 May 2015 held at CCLA offices in London, was the first of the new look free seminars for members.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) on 15 May 2015 thinks it time to celebrate and support the new wave of local (parish and town) councils that came into being around a year ago.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) on 15 May 2015 boosted its commitment to stronger local democracy after the recent national and local elections this month.

A group of influential town councils has urged their national body, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), to campaign for fairer funding to ensure tens of millions of pounds of government funding is passed on to them.

To all parish and town councillors in England

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) welcomes and supports a Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) report published recently which reveals that England needs a huge investment in energy efficiency if the country is to meet its 2015 carbon reduction target and stop consequential damage to the countryside.

Up and down the country, thousands of communities are taking action - from regulars running their local pub and protecting other assets such as the local pier, to plans for new development, the creation of new jobs and apprenticeships and services.

According to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), a sector led approach to improvement is to be the 'cornerstone of a step change' in local (parish and town) councils.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has responded to the publication of the three main political parties manifestos with a series of radical ideas to empower local people and communities as part of devolution in the UK.

With just one week to go before the 20 April 2015 registration deadline for the general election the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) abd the Electoral Commission are calling for anyone who isn't yet registered to vote to go online and do so.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) held an excellent national council meeting last week at Westminster Central Hall with presentations from senior Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) officials on the new transparency arrangements and community rights providing the opportunity for councillors to get their views across on these important issues.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has backed two tier local government in its latest contribution to the UK devolution debate, calling for the creation of unitary principal authorities coupled with the establishment of new parish councils.