Project Keystone
Project Keystone is a strategic review of our relationship with county associations. It sets out a blueprint for a stronger, more connected and sustainable support system for parish and town councils in England, ensuring the sector is equipped to meet the opportunities and challenges of the next decade.
The project takes its name from the keystone of an arch, the central stone that holds a structure together. It reflects the review's ambition to strengthen the organisations, people and services that support parish and town councils and help them succeed.
Identified as a strategic priority, the review responds to the significant changes affecting local government and communities, including devolution, local government reorganisation, financial pressures, workforce challenges, digital transformation and artificial intelligence. It also recognises the growing role of parish and town councils in community leadership, service delivery and local democracy.
Overview
Here are the key facts about Project Keystone and its scope, approach and next steps:
- Strategic review commissioned by NALC and delivered by Shared Intelligence.
- Examined how support for parish and town councils should evolve over the next decade.
- Informed by sector-wide engagement, including surveys, workshops and stakeholder discussions.
- Recommends reforms to strengthen national leadership, county association resilience and long-term sustainability.
- Final recommendations to be considered by our Management Board and National Assembly.
The review
The review took a whole-system approach, looking at how county associations and we work together to provide a coherent and effective support offer for parish and town councils.
It considered the relationship between national and county-level support, including how responsibilities are shared, how services are delivered and how organisations can work more collaboratively to make the best use of their expertise and resources.
In particular, the review examined:
- National leadership and representation — How NALC can strengthen its role in representing the sector, influencing policy and championing parish and town councils.
- County association capacity and resilience — How county associations can be supported to maintain strong, sustainable organisations and deliver effective services to their members.
- Partnership and collaboration — How relationships between NALC and county associations can be strengthened, with clearer roles, better coordination and more opportunities to share knowledge and expertise.
- Services and support — How the support offer can evolve to meet the changing needs of parish and town councils, including access to advice, guidance, training and development.
- Long-term sustainability — How the sector's support organisations can build the capacity, resources and capabilities needed to remain effective in the years ahead.
The review brought these considerations together to develop recommendations for a more connected, resilient and sustainable support system, recognising the different strengths and contributions of NALC and county associations.
Timelines
The review progressed through three key stages, from its launch and sector-wide engagement to the publication of its final report.
- Spring 2026 — Project Keystone launched to review the future of support for parish and town councils.
- Summer 2026 — Sector-wide engagement, research, workshops and stakeholder discussions undertaken.
- Autumn 2026 — Final report completed and published.
Findings and recommendations
Project Keystone concludes that parish and town councils will require stronger, more coordinated support if they are to fulfil their growing role in community leadership, service delivery and local democracy.
The report proposes a future support system that is:
- Nationally led, providing strong advocacy, intelligence, standards and sector leadership.
- Regionally capable, with support organisations operating at sufficient scale to deliver specialist expertise and resilience.
- Locally embedded, ensuring parish and town councils remain at the heart of local democracy and community leadership.
To achieve this, the report recommends action in four areas:
- Strengthening NALC's national leadership role.
- Moving towards a smaller number of larger and more resilient county associations, or groups of county associations.
- Formalising the relationship between NALC and county associations.
- Creating the conditions for continuous improvement and long-term sustainability across the support system.
The review concludes that, while change will require investment, collaboration and collective leadership, it presents a significant opportunity to build a more resilient, influential and effective support system for the sector.
The recommendations represent significant change at both national and county association level. Implemented collectively, they would create a stronger and more resilient support network, better equipped to champion, represent and support parish and town councils in the years ahead.
Next steps
The recommendations will be considered by our Management Board on 17 November 2026 and by our National Assembly on 15 December 2026.
Following these discussions, we will determine how the recommendations should be taken forward and will publish further updates on any agreed next steps.
