NALC publishes its quarterly activity report
We have published our quarterly activity report covering January to March 2025.
The quarterly activity report details progress in delivering our strategic plan, including information on critical internal issues, parliamentary and government affairs work, events, finances, media coverage, publications and legal advice. It features updates from our chief executive and the policy and communications, member services, and finance and administration teams.
This quarter's report summarises the organisation's strategic direction and significant milestones during the reporting period. Key highlights include:
- Advisory services — NALC responded to 50 formal requests and 95 informal requests for legal advice from parish and town councils and county associations. NALC’s financial advisor, DCK Accounting Solutions, advised on eight financial enquiries. Breakthrough Communications provided 51 pieces of advice on communications and compliance with data protection and freedom of information. WorkNest, NALC’s HR advisors, received 109 calls on their advice line. NALC also issued two legal bulletins to county associations in January and March 2025.
- Cybersecurity — NALC has successfully achieved Cyber Essentials accreditation for the third consecutive year. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed certification that helps organisations guard against the most common cyber threats and demonstrate their dedication to cybersecurity.
- Devolution — The English Devolution White Paper included many long-lobbied proposals by NALC and county associations. These include resetting central and local government relations and rewiring parish relationships with principal authorities. Financial reforms include multi-year settlements and more straightforward, less competitive grant funding. Strengthening the standards regime with sanctions to suspend or disqualify councillors, allowing remote attendance at council meetings, uplifting audit thresholds, and improving support and development for councillors.
- Engaging with the government and parliament — NALC responded to consultations on burials and cremations, the provisional local government finance settlement, local audit reform, local authority funding reform, the compulsory purchase order process, strengthening standards, and local government financial sustainability. NALC was cited in the Committee on Standards in Public Life report on Recognising and Responding to Early Warning Signs in Public Sector Bodies. NALC met with Lord Moylan on community transport and planning. NALC sent letters to Jim McMahon MP on allowances and Yvette Cooper MP on Martyn's Law.
- Resources — NALC published a headline analysis of the May 2024 parish and town council elections, a presentation on the English Devolution White Paper proposals, an advice note on understanding and preparing to move to a .gov.uk domain, further information on devolution and local government reorganisation, The Good Councillor's Guide to Finance, the Practitioners' Guide 2025, the Anti-bullying and Harassment Policy, the Model Financial Regulations (England), the Model Standing Orders (England) and the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity and publicity during the pre-election period (England).
The subsequent report covers April to June 2025 and will be published in July 2025.
