NALC benefits of membership: What did the Romans ever do for us?

Author: Jonathan Owen, chief executive of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC)

What did the Romans ever do for us? That was the question asked of NALC by one of our leading councillors paraphrasing the famous Monty Python sketch.

Of course, you can learn more about what NALC does for county associations and parish and town councils on our website and in our annual report. But, it's worth highlighting some of the unseen things we do on behalf of parish and town councils and county associations.

Human resources

• Template contract of employment for council staff and annual recommendation of pay increase.
• A suite of template HR policies, including home and lone working, anti-bullying and harassment, and IT policy guidelines.
• Access to The Good Councillor's Guide to Employment.
• Access through county associations to professional advice provided by our partner's WorkNest.

Governance and finance

• Model standing orders and model financial regulations for parish and town councils to use.
• Practical advice on complex legislation in advice notes, The Good Councillor's Guides and Local Councils Explained.
• The annual governance and accountability return (AGAR), advice on completing it through the Practitioners' Guide <link>, and nationally contracted external auditors for parish and town councils to use through the independent company we set up, the Smaller Authorities Appointments.
• Access through county association to expert legal advice from our in-house solicitors, unrivalled experts in the sector, finance advice from our finance advisors DCK Accounting Solutions and Parkinson Partnership LLP, and communications, freedom of information and data protection advice from Breakthrough Communications.

Peer support

• All parish and town councils can have a peer review of their work through the Local Council Award Scheme.
• Large parish and town councils can access the Corporate Peer Challenge.
• Parish and town councils in serious difficulty can benefit from peer intervention to get them back on track.
• Fortnightly meeting of county officers to share good practices.

Lobbying

Taking up parish and town councils' concerns with national government and others as set out in our policy register. We have secured the sector's exemption from referenda principles or capping and enabled access to national funding streams, including the Community Ownership Fund. The recent English Devolution White Paper has included several measures we've called for, including a stronger sanctions regime, increased audit thresholds and the facility to hold hybrid meetings.

Website

Personal login for councillors, clerks and council staff to the NALC website with support, resources, advice, stimulating blogs and best practices.

Costs

It's not bad for 8.34 pence per elector, £173 per annum for the average-sized council with 2,000 electors, £55 for the mid-point, median council of 666 electors, and capped at £2,137 for the largest councils with more than 25,600 electors.

The real answer

P.S. The real answer, of course. "Apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the freshwater system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?" — Monty Python, The Life of Brian, 1979.

The following blog post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional or legal advice. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Association of Local Councils. Any links to external sources included in this blog post are provided for convenience and do not constitute endorsement or approval of those websites' content, products, services, or policies. Therefore, readers should use discretion and judgment when applying the information to their circumstances. Finally, this blog post may be updated or revised without notice.