News

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has published the 2021 edition of Points of Light, highlighting the excellent work local (parish and town) councils have done to support their communities.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has promoted the importance of local (parish and town) councils on national resilience in response to a government consultation.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC), in its response to the government's consultation on local audits, has highlighted the financial growth of the largest 72 super councils in England.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has opened the nomination process for its leadership and committee elections.

Scarborough Borough Council councillors backed a motion on the creation of a new town council in Scarborough.

AUTHOR: ELEANOR GREENE, SECRETARY TO THE PARISH INTERNAL AUDITORS FORUM

Summer holidays are coming close, and the external auditors are getting through even the most complicated AGAR forms.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has announced that the Star Council Awards winners will be unveiled at an online ceremony on 8 October 2021 between 12.00 and 12.45 pm.

Legendary Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, now the newly elected president of the Local Government Association, is to speak at the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Future Communities 2021 online conference on 2 December 2021.

RUAIRE GLACKIN, HEAD OF NET ZERO AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT AT UTILITY AID

Perhaps the greatest challenge of our generation is addressing the pace of climate change before it is too late. We all have a significant part to play in this and Councils are no different. The need to show leadership set examples and be a driving force in creating real and meaningful change is clear.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) met with UK Finance and senior high street bank officials this week to promote its campaign for better customer service and easier systems for local (parish and town) councils to use.

Local (parish and town) councils have been asked to play a part in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee by lighting beacons on 2 June 2022.

AUTHOR: DR GORDON MORRIS, HONORARY RESEARCH ASSOCIATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

The implications of the post-COVID-19 and Brexit worlds for England’s town councils were explored in a recent paper by the writer. An online survey supported by telephone interviews elicited approximately 25,000 words of carefully considered opinions and suggestions from 123 councillors and 21 clerks from 78 councils (including the academics and policy professionals who contributed, 156 participants in all). The following is a snapshot of the findings.

EMMA CURTIS, PARTNERSHIP MANAGER AT SCRIBE ACCOUNTS

The world of grant funding can be a mind-boggling minefield. However, with so many potential benefits it should not be seen as a hurdle, but as an opportunity to grab some free cash to bring your project ideas to life and create a valuable asset for your community.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) held its first National Network: Young Councillors meeting on 26 July 2021, which featured three of England's youngest councillors.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has today announced who is in the running for the 2021 Star Council Awards.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has added a new online event on levelling up the environment through biodiversity net gain, taking place on 27 October 2021.

AUTHOR: LUKE PERKINS, PARTNERSHIPS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT BHIB COUNCILS INSURANCE

NALC’s insurance partner, BHIB Councils Insurance, have produced a detailed new guide aimed at providing council insurance and accounting information to new council clerks and councillors.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has today written to the planning minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP and to all MPs urging them to let the voice of local (parish and town) councils be listened to in the planning process and for local councils to be trusted with more powers.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has launched two surveys aimed at local (parish and town) councils and councillors on the 2021 local elections.

NALC held its first National Network: Women councillors meeting on 5 July 2021, which aims to help women councillors from across England's local (parish and town) councils to connect, learn, support and share good practices.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has added a new online event on making rural housing more affordable to its schedule, taking place on 17 November 2021.

Today, English Rural launched their new guide (Parish Councillors’ Guide to Rural Affordable Housing) aimed at local (parish and town) councillors on affordable rural housing.

The Civility and Respect Project Working Group agreed at its latest meeting on 28 June 2021 a joint statement committing to promote civility and respect in public life. The statement, which summarises the core aims and values for securing permanent change in the local (parish and town) council sector, reads:

AUTHOR: RAFI ILIVITZKY, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT TRAILTALE

A growing decline

According to the Retail Gazette Analysis (2019) - In the past seven years, British high streets have suffered greatly. In total, the high street footfall has declined by 10%, an incredibly large statistic; considering that our population is growing, rather than shrinking.

Parliamentarians in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Local Democracy are seeking views on levelling up from local (parish and town) councils at an online roundtable on 12 July 2021.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has again urged the government to make remote meetings a permanent option for local (parish and town) councils.

AUTHOR: ANDREW DIXON, TOGETHER

In March, Together published the Talk/together report based on a national conversation involving over 150,000 people. The report found that people felt the country had generally pulled together, not apart, as a result of the pandemic, and that people were keen to retain the best of the new community spirit they had seen in action.

AUTHOR: DAVID BARROWCLIFF, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT ENGLISH RURAL

Rural communities can only thrive if there are good quality affordable homes available to those who live and work in rural areas.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has launched its first-ever one-day online conference, Future Communities 2021, taking place on 2 December 2021.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) marked Pride Month by hosting its first-ever national meeting of LGBT+ councillors from local (parish and town) councils.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has added a new online event on the future of high streets and town centres to its calendar, taking place on 29 September 2021.

AUTHOR: TIM BOWDEN, SECRETARY TO THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND

What are the local ties which bind together your constituency? Is it where you send your children to school, your place of worship, your library - or, perhaps, the community groups you attend? Over the next eight weeks, we want you to tell us how we can best reflect your local community as we reshape the map of parliamentary constituency boundaries in England.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is pushing for changes to the government’s Environment Bill to unleash the million green fingers of its movement of 100,000 local councillors to create a greener, more environmentally friendly and sustainable communities.

AUTHOR: GRAHAM BIGGS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE RURAL SERVICES NETWORK

So now we know the government’s proposed programme for new legislation in the current session of parliament, as well as some other actions the government intends to take that, don’t need new laws or changes to existing laws. But what does it tell us?

Cherilyn Mackrory MP and Richard Holden MP have been re-elected as co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on local democracy aimed at championing local (parish and town) councils in parliament.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) chair, Cllr Sue Baxter, met with Luke Hall MP, minister for Regional Growth and Local Government at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on 19 May 2021.

To coincide with Pride Month taking place throughout June, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is setting up a new national network for LGBT+ local (parish and town) councillors.

AUTHOR: MARK DAVIES, RELATIONSHIP MANAGER — LOCAL GOVERNMENT AT CCLA

Amid the events of 2020, a further reduction in the interest on your savings at the bank, building society or National Savings and Investments (NS&I) may well have gone unnoticed. Initially, at least.

Our communities thrive when people get involved and come together to take action on the issues they care about.

AUTHOR: DAVID HALL, DIRECTOR AT CLOUDY IT

At the end of April, the High Court ruled against a bid by Hertfordshire County Council, LLG and ADSO to force the government into retaining the remote-meeting arrangements introduced in the first lockdown. For many councils, the instruction to return to face-to-face meetings directly after the May elections is a blow, particularly as public engagement has rocketed with virtual sessions. The government, meanwhile, does not intend to resume real-life sittings before 21 June.

Responding to today’s Queen’s Speech, Cllr Sue Baxter, chair of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), said:

AUTHOR: GRAHAM STODDART-STONES, FOUNDER AND MANAGER OF THE PARISH ONLINE USER GROUP

What is Parish Online? Parish Online is recommended by NALC as a tool to help local councils manage their businesses. Over 1,400 councils already use Parish Online and, if you haven’t already done so, I suggest that you evaluate Parish Online by taking out a free trial. Parish Online is an affordable web-based, map-based information management system which allows councils to access OS mapping, address data and a host of other national datasets. Councils can use these maps as a reference to build their own asset layers (for things like allotments, streetlights and playground equipment). Councils can also use Parish Online to develop their own plans (for instance Neighbourhood Plans, Emergency Plans and Tree Planting Plans).

AUTHOR: ELEANOR GREENE, SECRETARY TO THE PARISH INTERNAL AUDITORS FORUM

At this time of year, every clerk is focused on getting their internal audit done and convening a full council meeting at which the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) will be signed. Still, with the right advice, an internal audit is a year-round, positive process.

Responding to today’s judgement in the High Court on holding remote meetings, Cllr Sue Baxter, chair of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), said:

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has pressed the trade association for banks (UK Finance) and its member banks to improve their services to local councils.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced on Saturday 24th April the launch of two new key neighbourhood planning funds.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has responded to the government consultations for locally-led re-organisation in Cumbria, Somerset and North Yorkshire.

AUTHOR: DARREN BRIDDOCK, DATA PROTECTION LEAD AT BREAKTHROUGH COMMUNICATIONS

Almost all local (parish and town) councils now have an official website, as well as official email accounts. An increasing number of councils also provide official email accounts for their councillors as well as for their clerk and other officers. When choosing a domain name for the council's website and emails, many local council websites are appropriately making use of the exclusive GOV.UK domain (for example, ourparishcouncil.gov.uk), with email addresses being linked to that domain as well.

“It is with great sadness that the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has learned of the death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh.

“I know that those in the local (parish and town) council sector would join me in extending their condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family.”

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has launched a new publication on local (parish and town) councils and the Tree Charter.