News

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NOV
01

NALC reveals analysis of local council tax levels for 2023/24

RESEARCH

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has unveiled its annual analysis of local precepting authorities' council tax levels, including local (parish and town) councils for the fiscal year 2023/24.

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NOV
01

Raising the digital standards of local councils 

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Author: Chris Mewse, managing director of Parish Online


I have always been passionate about using technology to create something new and useful. I used to build software and websites in my spare time and loved looking through maps and atlases (no wonder I ended up with this career!). I’m proud that over the last 14 years, my team and I have built a reputation for providing trustworthy digital services, namely our Parish Online mapping software.

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OCT
31

NALC holds an event on empowering young voices in your community  

Empowering-young-voices-in-your-community

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) held an online event about empowering young voices in your community on 25 October 2023, which looked at how to engage with young people and involve them in local issues.

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OCT
30

NALC to speak on empowering local councils in tackling climate change

climate change

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) will speak at an event to explore how local (parish and town) councils can identify and plan action towards net zero and address nature depletion.

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OCT
27

NALC reappoints Baroness Ros Scott of Needham Market as president

annual-general-meeting

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) reappointed Baroness Ros Scott of Needham Market as its president at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 24 October 2023.

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OCT
25

The benefits of fixing energy costs

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Author: Sally-Ann Beaver at director of Utility Aid 


In recent years, we have all seen energy costs fluctuate significantly, making it difficult for local (parish and town) councils to budget accurately. This can be especially problematic for smaller councils that may not have large reserves to fall back on if unexpected energy costs arise. By fixing energy costs, councils can plan their budgets with more certainty and have greater control over their expenses.

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OCT
24

NALC takes steps to regulate fees for residential properties  

policy-committee

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) agreed to adopt a motion regulating fees for residential properties during its Policy Committee meeting on 17 October 2023.

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OCT
18

NALC advocates for community wealth funding distribution through local councils

community

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has taken a proactive stance, calling on the government to allocate its Community Wealth Fund resources through local (parish and town) councils in regions below 20,000 population.

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OCT
18

Smaller Councils Committee focuses on committee elections and key initiatives

smaller-councils-committee

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Smaller Councils Committee met on 10 October 2023 to discuss the upcoming NALC committee elections and other key initiatives. 

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OCT
18

Understanding and celebrating Black History Month UK 2023

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Author: Angela M, chief executive officer of International Black History Month UK


October marks the start of Black History Month in the UK. This national celebration aims to celebrate, remember, and reflect on the contributions of African and Caribbean heritage people to the British economy, culture, and history.

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OCT
17

NALC prepares for committee elections as nomination deadline looms

ELECTIONS

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is preparing for its committee elections as the nomination deadline closes on 25 October 2023. NALC is urging all interested candidates to put themselves forward for a role that could shape the future of local governance.

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OCT
17

NALC announces the latest Local Council Award Scheme results

LCAS

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has announced the latest Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS) results.

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OCT
16

NALC publishes its quarterly activity report

REPORT

The National Association of Local Councils has published its quarterly activity report covering July to September 2023.

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OCT
16

NALC urges the government to reevaluate its proposal for local planning authorities

planning

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) strongly urges the government to reevaluate its proposal for local planning authorities (LPAs) to conduct periodic reviews of their local plans every five years.

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OCT
12

Women councillors network meet to discuss the wellbeing of councillors

WOMEN

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) National Network: Women councillors met on 11 October 2023 to discuss the Community Safety Charter, the wellbeing of women councillors in local (parish and town) councils, and White Ribbon Day 2023.

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OCT
11

Legionella risk — appointment of contractors for local authorities  

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Author: Sam Hagen, digital marketer at the Water Hygiene Centre 


This blog looks at the considerations any local authority should make in determining how to appoint a contractor(s) to support them to ensure that water systems are free from microbiological contamination for those who use them.

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OCT
10

NALC meets with Barclays on banking

meeting 3

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) met with the Barclays Know Your Customer team and other senior Barclays representatives last week on 22 September 2023.

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OCT
10

Local councils successfully bid for the Community Ownership Fund

FUNDING

Local (parish and town) councils across England were successful bidders for the Community Ownership Fund.

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OCT
05

White Ribbon steering group meets to discuss White Ribbon Day

WHITE-RIBBON

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) White Ribbon steering group discussed NALC’s plan for this year’s White Ribbon Day when they met on 4 October 2023.

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OCT
04

Local councils included in the prime minister's £1 billion long-term plan for towns

finance

The government has unveiled 55 towns that will benefit from a £1.1 billion levelling up investment as part of a long-term plan for towns that provide long-term investment in towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted.

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OCT
04

Why should you use social media in a consultation? 

new-blog

Author: Katerina Sukstul, head of platform delivery and engagement at GoCollaborate 


In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, local authorities find themselves at a crossroads, facing the dual challenges of engaging their communities effectively and adapting to the ever-increasing demands for transparency and participation in decision-making processes. 

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OCT
03

NALC attends the White Ribbon Conference

WHITE-RIBBON

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) attended the White Ribbon Conference at Villa Park in Birmingham on 26 September 2023.

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OCT
03

NALC holds an event on engaging with local communities through digital engagement

Engaging-with-local-communities-through-digital-engagement

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) held an online event on engaging with local communities through digital engagement on 27 September 2023.

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OCT
02

Help crown this year's Star Council Awards Council of the Year

sca23-vote

The public will again crown this year's National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Star Council Awards 2023 Council of the Year category.

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OCT
02

NALC announces Star Council Awards 2023 finalists

sca-www

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is thrilled to announce the prestigious Star Council Awards finalists. After an exhaustive evaluation process, our expert panel of judges has selected these exceptional individuals, councils and county associations as the best in their respective categories.

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SEP
27

Supporting your communities through tree planting 

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Author: Richard Stanford CB MBE, chief executive of the Forestry Commission  


With growing environmental pressures to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, never has it been a more important time to grow trees. The UK government and local authorities share a common goal to halt the decline in biodiversity by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

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SEP
27

NALC and SLCC appoint a new chair of the Improvement and Development Board

PARTNERSHIP

The Improvement and Development Board (IDB) has appointed James Alexander as its new independent chair.

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SEP
27

NALC has released extra tickets for making the planning system work for local councils

Making-the-planning-system-work-for-local-councils

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has released extra tickets to its sold-out online event on making the planning system work for local (parish and town) councils, which takes place on 22 November 2023.

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SEP
25

NALC urges the government to keep planning local

boundary

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has urged the government to keep planning local and democratic.

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SEP
25

Help NALC support White Ribbon Day

WHITE-RIBBON

On 25 November 2023, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) will support White Ribbon Day to work towards ending violence against women and girls.

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SEP
20

The Great British Beach Clean 

new-blog

Author: Lauren Jones-Mullins, wildlife ecologist & beachwatch administrator at Marine Conservation Society


What do you think of when you hear the words ‘marine litter’? Rolling waves of plastic? Vast islands of waste in the middle of the ocean? Wildlife tangled in fishing net and eating plastic bags? Shocking images of the extent of pollution around the world have been brought into the public eye through Blue Planet 2, National Geographic, and even the Octonauts - but the reality is much closer to home. 

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SEP
18

NALC pushes local council hedgerow protection role 

MicrosoftTeams-image-38

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has urged the government to simplify the rules to protect hedgerows and give local (parish and town) councils a more significant role. 

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SEP
18

NALC to attend party conferences

EVENT

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) will attend party conferences throughout September and October 2023 to promote the local (parish and town) council sector.

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SEP
18

NALC helps secure amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill

Houses-of-Parliament_M

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has secured several amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill at last week's Report Stage in the House of Lords.

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SEP
14

Women councillors network discusses White Ribbon and the Civility and Respect Pledge

national network

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) National Network: Women councillors met on 7 September 2023 to discuss the White Ribbon campaign, NALC’s White Ribbon accreditation and the Civility and Respect Pledge.

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SEP
13

Foundation Award — Starting the journey

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Author: Joanne Riddle, town clerk at Bingham Town Council 


After a challenging period of time for the council, the Local Council’s Award Scheme was considered as a positive way to provide residents reassurance that the council were not only meeting their responsibilities, but they were exceeding them and were striving to constantly improve. Staff know that the council meet the legal requirements expected of them and that they take their scrutiny role seriously, but after a negative time it can be difficult to change that view with the community.

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SEP
06

Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance 

JPAG

The Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance (JPAG) met on 4 September 2023 to agree on its plans for updating the Practitioners Guide' for the 2024/25 financial year. 

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SEP
06

Morecambe Town Council corporate peer challenge report published

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The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Local Government Association (LGA) have published their Corporate Peer Challenge report on Morecambe Town Council.

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SEP
06

Royal British Legion launch network for councillors 

new-blog

Author: Luke Lancaster, public affairs and campaigns officer for the Royal British Legion  


The Royal British Legion (RBL) recently launched Councillor Network. The aim is to enhance the support we provide to those who serve in local government. We welcome all elected representatives from every level of local government – including from local (town and parish) councils – to join.

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SEP
06

NALC raises permitted development rights at the Rural Insight Forum

RURA_20230906-101014_1

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) joined the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Rural Insight Forum on 25 August 2023.

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SEP
05

NALC has released extra tickets for empowering young voices online event

Empowering-young-voices-in-your-communit_20230905-145500_1

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has released extra tickets to its sold-out online event on empowering young voices in your community, which takes place on 25 October 2023.

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SEP
05

NALC meets with the UK's membership organisation for leisure-time music

MicrosoftTeams-image-36

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) on 23 August 2023 met with Making Music, the UK's membership organisation for leisure-time music.

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SEP
05

Local councils receive government and National Lottery funding

finance

Stroud Town Council in Gloucestershire and Swindon North Parish Council in Wiltshire received funding from the government and the National Lottery Community Fund as part of the Million Hours Fund.

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SEP
05

NALC's young councillors network discusses how to support young people

national network

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) National Network: Young councillors met on 31 August 2023 to discuss future network co-chairs, the support NALC can provide to young councillors, and creating a survey on the network.

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SEP
05

NALC partners with De Montfort University to conduct a local election survey

survey

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and De Montfort University (DMU) have opened a survey for local (parish and town) councils and county associations on the 2023 local elections.

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AUG
30

LGA Independent Group: Why do parish councils matter? 

new-blog

Author: Cllr Marianne Overton MBE, leader of the LGA Independent Group 


At a time when developments in digital technology mean that it’s possible to connect with friends and family located thousands of miles away in mere seconds, the importance of nourishing a local community and connecting neighbours has never been more important.

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AUG
29

NALC launches consultation to update the Model Financial Regulations

FINANC_20230512-080053_1

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is working with The Parkinson Partnership LLP to update its 2019 Model Financial Regulations for England and Wales.

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AUG
29

DEFRA launches £2.5m Coronation Living Heritage Fund

nature

On 22 August 2023, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched the Coronation Living Heritage Fund for applications.

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AUG
24

NALC publishes joint letter on Remembrance events

MicrosoftTeams-image-35

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC), the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Royal British Legion (RBL) have published a joint letter to all councils regarding Remembrance events.

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AUG
23

NALC announces the latest Local Council Award Scheme results

LCAS

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has announced the latest Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS) results.  

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