The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is seeking partners to deliver its financial advisory services.
NALC has a long history of providing its members with advice and guidance on a wide range of topics linked to local (parish and town) council finance, such as advising individual councils, creating documents and guides, and working on national policies.
It is essential for NALC to work with partners to help deliver the best value to members. After a review of NALC's service provisions, NALC is looking for companies or individuals interested in working with NALC to provide some or all of these services (see below).
Financial advice
- Financial advice to members — In 2021/22, NALC received 23 requests for advice, with VAT being the most common topic. Other topics featured such as borrowing, Annual Governance and Accountability Returns (AGAR), debt, tendering and internal audits.
- Support county associations in their role in supporting members, which includes regular webinars, and an annual financial training day (Lacey Day) for county officers.
Documents and guidance
- Model Financial Regulations — To be regularly reviewed and updated.
- Financial briefings — There are currently 23 published that require regularly reviewing and updating and creating new briefings when required.
- The Good Councillor's guide to finance and transparency (2018) requires regular reviewing and updating. The guide has been downloaded around 30,000 times.
Supporting NALC in its national initiatives
NALC is involved in various activities at a national policy level, where it requires briefings and training for staff members on an ad-hoc basis; this includes:
- Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance (JPAG) – NALC hosts and provides a secretariat for JPAG. The chairship alternates between NALC, the Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA) and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC). NALC publishes the Practitioners' Guide in March every year.
- Smaller Authorities' Audit Appointments (SAAA) – A NALC representative sits on the board of SAAA. SAAA produces the annual AGAR return, commissions external audits for local councils' and produces an annual report. NALC publicises and promotes its activity to county associations and councils.
- NALC makes representations to the government on financial matters and sits on various bodies of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), including the Local Audits Delivery Board and smaller authorities working group.
Expressions of interest
If you are interested in working with NALC to deliver these services, please email the information below to charlotte.eisenhart@nalc.gov.uk by 19 August 2022.
- Your name and company/trading name
- The types of financial advice and services you provide
- Any qualifications and professional memberships
- Confirmation you hold professional indemnity insurance
- How many years have you/your organisation been trading/providing financial services
- Please provide at least two professional or client references – at least one to be from a local (parish and town) council
- Any experience working with county associations
- Which of the services above are you interested in working with NALC