We would like to give Maplestead Parish Council the top spot this week, in recognition of its hard work and achievements, with limited budgets and resources. 

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

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) wishes to congratulate the most recent graduates of the Community Governance programme. Community Governance is one of the highest qualifications designed for people working in Local Councils, and is part of the National Training Strategy.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has announced that seven new town, parish and community councils have been set up, as part of its New Councils Programme that has been running since 2013.

The programme is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and follows changes in legislation in recent years that make it easier to set up Local Councils.

More than 5000 people have signed a petition against proposals to withdraw government funding from England's 38 rural community councils.

This week we would like to shine a light on one of the very first councils to be accredited under the new Local Council Award Scheme. 

Danbury Parish Council participated in our pilot last year and was awarded Quality Gold Status on 6 January 2015 when the scheme launched.