If any Clerks want to join the Clerks’ eGroup, or any councillors want to join the Councillor eGroup, contact enquiries@lalc.co.uk.
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This fortnightly newsletter is provided to member councils through the clerk and should be circulated to all councillors. This eNews can also be found on the LALC website under News.
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Training courses are available to book via the portal (login required)
The Training Bulletin is issued monthly, and courses are available to book via the portal. If there is any specific training which you feel would be valuable, and we don’t currently offer it, please let us know and we will investigate. The Training Bulletin can be found on the LALC website www.lalc.co.uk/training-2-1.
Clerks – when booking training for your councillors, please ensure that their email address is correct. If not, they will not receive the booking confirmation or any joining instructions.
If you update your council email and are already booked on training, please let us know so that we can update your booking to ensure you receive the automatic reminders.
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|
Position |
Closing date |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
30th November 2023 |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
18th November 2023 |
|
|
Chief Executive Officer (Clerk/RFO) |
16th February 2024 |
|
|
Communications & Engagement Officer |
16th February 2024 |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
12th April 2024 |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
30th April 2024 |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
30th April 2024 |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
30th April 2024 |
Vacancy advertising
LALC can advertise your vacancy on our website and in the fortnightly eNews. This is a free service. If you do not have a pre-prepared advert to send us, please complete our Vacancy Template, which can be found in the Members Portal under Document Templates.
We also offer a paid advertising service, which ensures that your advert also appears on Lincolnshire County Council’s website, Facebook, and LinkedIn (in addition to the LALC website and eNews). The current fee for this is £75. Please complete the Vacancy Template (as above), ensuring that all requested information is completed, and then contact us at enquiries@lalc.co.uk. You will be invoiced for this service.
Please note that Lincolnshire County Council require a closing date on their advert, as well as salary information (these are mandatory fields). LCC will remove your advert once the closing date has passed, so please consider the date carefully as you will have to pay again to re-advertise if your vacancy hasn’t been filled by then.
We recommend all councils advertise their vacancy, job details, method of application and up to date contact details on their own website too.
Please let us know when the vacancy has been filled, so that we can remove it from our website/eNews. If your vacancy has not yet been filled and you are continuing to advertise, please let us know of any revised closing date. If you no longer specify a closing date, please let us know so that we can update the vacancy adverts.
The NALC Recruitment Manual (developed as part of the Civility & Respect project) is now available via the portal. Go into Knowledgebase and click on 'Recruitment Manual' in the 'Employment' menu area.
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LALC Summer Conference – 24th July
The LALC Summer Conference this year will take place on Wednesday 24th July at Belton Woods Hotel, Belton, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG32 2LN.
Featuring a choice of workshops, Q&A session, trade stands and the LALC AGM.
Confirmed so far: Unity Trust Bank, Kompan, Blachere, Worknest (H&S), Clear Insurance, Vaughtons (civic regalia), Lincolnshire Domestic Abuse Service, CCLA, Cloudy IT.
The full programme will be announced nearer to the date.
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Latest News
To see the latest NALC news: https://www.nalc.gov.uk/news
To see the latest SLCC news: https://www.slcc.co.uk/news-publications/
(No login is required).
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Sign up to the LCC Town and Parishes newsletter - email lcctownandparishnews@lincolnshire.gov.uk
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COUNCIL NEWS
APRIL 2024
Redundancy and Maternity
Mums returning from Maternity Leave have accrued new rights to be protected from being made redundant, from April 2024.
Once an expecting Mother informs the Council that they are pregnant they automatically get first choice of any vacancies, should their post be at risk of redundancy.
Similarly new Mothers returning from Maternity Leave are entitled to first choice of any posts for up to 18 months after their child’s birth or adoption date, if their post is at risk of redundancy.
|
|
The current position |
The changes |
When does the change take effect? |
|
Pregnancy |
No protection |
Protected from the date the employee informs the Council of her pregnancy for the full period of pregnancy |
Where the Council is informed of the pregnancy on or after 6 April 2024 |
|
Maternity leave |
Protected during the period of absence on maternity leave only |
Protected for 18 months from the first day of the estimated week of childbirth (EWC). The 18-month period can be altered to start from the child’s actual date of birth where the employee informs the Council in writing of the actual date during their maternity leave period. |
Where the maternity leave ends on or after 6 April 2024 |
|
Adoption leave |
Protected during the period of absence on adoption leave only |
Protected for the period of 18 months from the date of placement for adoption. |
Where the adoption leave ends on or after 6 April 2024 |
|
Shared parental leave |
Protected during the period of absence on shared parental leave only. |
Protected for 18 months from birth/placement for adoption provided that the employee has taken a period of at least six continuous weeks of shared parental leave. This protection will not apply if the employee otherwise has protection under either the maternity or adoption provisions above. Protected during period of absence on shared parental leave only (as now) if fewer than 6 consecutive weeks of leave are taken. |
Where the period of six continuous weeks of shared parental leave starts on or after 6 April 2024 |
Where an employee suffers a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy, they will have protection during their pregnancy and for a two-week period following miscarriage. If they miscarry after 24 weeks of pregnancy this is classed as a still birth and they are entitled to maternity leave and will have the same protection as any other employee taking maternity leave.
April Changes to Flexible Working Requests
The changes are:
Employees can now make two (not one) flexible working requests in any 12-month period.
Requests have to be dealt with by the Council within two (not three) months of receipt of a request if no extension is agreed.
Councils are not able to refuse a request until they have ‘consulted’ with the employee.
Employees will no longer, in their application, have to explain what effect the employee thinks agreeing to the request would have and how any such effect might be dealt with.
Statutory Payment Rates from April 2024
|
Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) Statutory rate of £184.03
or 90% of employee’s weekly earnings if lower. 6 weeks at 90% of average
weekly earnings. Then statutory rate of £184.03 or 90% of employee’s weekly
earnings if lower. 6 weeks at 90% of average
weekly earnings. Then statutory rate of £184.03 or 90% of employee’s weekly
earnings if lower. Statutory rate of £184.03
or 90% of employee’s weekly earnings if lower. Statutory rate of £184.03 or 90% of employee’s weekly earnings if lower. |
|
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) £116.75 pw for 28 weeks subject to earnings (average £123 per week) |
|
Minimum Wage from April 2023 Workers aged 21 and over (National Living Wage) £11.44/hour Workers aged 18–20 £8.60/hour Workers aged 16-17 £6.40/hour Apprentices under 19, or over 19 and in first year £6.40/hour |
PROFILE
Chris Moses LLM Chartered FCIPD is Managing Director of Personnel Advice & Solutions Ltd. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has a Master’s Degree in Employment Law.
If you have any questions regarding these issues please feel free to contact him on (01529) 305056 or email p.d.solutions@zen.co.uk
www.personneladviceandsolutions.co.uk
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REMINDER: LALC CRM Survey
Thank you to all the councils that responded to our CRM survey launched in January. So far approximately 30% of our member councils have responded, and we’d like more. For those councils that haven’t responded yet, there’s still time.
The information you will be asked:
Do you have General Power of Competence?
Do you have Local Council Award Scheme? If so, what level, when is this valid to?
Do you have an adopted Neighbourhood Plan? If so, when was it adopted/last reviewed?
Have you signed the Civility & Respect pledge?
Do you have an Emergency Plan in place?
Do you have a Good Neighbour Scheme?
Does the Clerk have CiLCA? If so, when was this attained?
Do you run allotments?
Do you manage a cemetery?
Do you manage play areas or open spaces?
Do you manage a Village Hall or Community Centre? If so, are you a trustee/what type of trustee?
Who do you bank with?
Who is your current insurance broker/provider?
What is your current precept figure?
Do you currently have any councillor vacancies? If so, how many?
For each councillor we ask for their Name, Email, Phone, Role. [If you are confident that all your councillors are correctly set up on the CRM, you do not need to complete this councillor information again, but please add a comment to that effect in the Further Comments field at the end of the survey].
We would therefore ask that you complete as much of this survey as possible. As a one-off exercise LALC will update our CRM with the information returned. Going forwards we ask that Clerks keep your council’s information up to date.
What will we do with the data?
As per our General Privacy Notice, we will use the data for our internal purposes. We will also share the council contact details only with our partners at Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Police and the external auditor (PKF Littlejohn).
We appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey.
Take the survey now: https://lalcmemberssurvey2021.typeform.com/to/zUC86mV4
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Annual Meeting of the Council in May: Electing the Chair of the Council
The LALC office gets several enquiries at this time of year about the annual meeting of the parish council that must take place in May. If your Standing Orders are based on the NALC model Standing Orders, it is worth reviewing those to check what is expected to take place at the meeting (See 5. j).
At this meeting the first item on the agenda is the election of Chair for the year ahead. The Local Government Act 1972 S.15 states:
15 Chairman and vice-chairman of parish council or meeting.
(1) The chairman of a parish council shall be elected annually by the council from among the councillors.
(2) The election of a chairman shall be the first business transacted at the annual meeting of the parish council and if, apart from subsection (8) below, the person presiding at the meeting would have ceased to be a member of the parish council, he shall not be entitled to vote in the election except in accordance with subsection (3) below.
(3) In the case of an equality of votes in the election of a chairman the person presiding at the meeting shall give a casting vote in addition to any other vote he may have.
(4) The chairman shall, unless he resigns or becomes disqualified, continue in office until his successor becomes entitled to act as chairman.
(5) A parish council may pay the chairman for the purpose of enabling him to meet the expenses of his office such allowance as the council think reasonable.
(6) The parish council may appoint a member of the council to be vice-chairman of the council.
(7) The vice-chairman shall, unless he resigns or becomes disqualified, hold office until immediately after the election of a chairman at the next annual meeting of the council.
(8) During their term of office the chairman and vice-chairman shall continue to be members of the council notwithstanding the provisions of this Act relating to the retirement of parish councillors.
(9) Subject to any standing orders made by the parish council, anything authorised or required to be done by, to or before the chairman may be done by, to or before the vice-chairman.
Just a few things to remember:
a) The election of Chair must be the first item on the agenda – not the second, third of fourth, etc. It must be before considering apologies, declarations of interest or approving the previous meeting’s minutes. It may be preferred to start the council meeting to complete the election of Chair and then suspend the council meeting to hold any public participation/forum period and then resuming the council meeting.
b) The current Chair remains in the role of Chair for this first agenda item (unless the role of Chair is vacant, in which case the Vice Chair is in the role of Chair). If the council does not have a Vice Chair then one of the parish/town councillors must preside over the agenda item for the election of Chair – it is not for the Clerk, County or District Councillor or any other member of the public to step forward.
c) What if the Chair or Vice Chair is unable to attend this meeting. Can they still be elected Chair? Yes they can. Other Councillors may nominate and second from among the council who is to be the Chair of the Council or Vice Chair. Valid nominees can then be elected even if they are absent (assuming that they consent to being nominated for the role).
d) The elected Chair must sign their Declaration of Acceptance of Office upon election even if it is the same Chair continuing as before the meeting. If they are not present at that meeting the council should resolve that the Declaration can be signed late, by the time of the next meeting.
e) Can the Council operate without a Chair being elected? No. If no-one is nominated and elected as Chair then the council cannot progress with business beyond that agenda item of election of Chair. The Local Government Act 1972 states that a council is only properly constituted if it has a Chair and councillors. This is why S.15 (3) states that if there is an equality of votes for two or more candidates for the role of Chair whoever is presiding in the role of chair for the election of Chair MUST use their casting vote to ensure a Chair is elected. The casting vote is not needed if there is a majority in favour of one candidate.
Just a reminder that LALC is providing an online Chair’s Workshop at 6pm on 4th June for Chairs, Vice Chairs, Committee Chairs and those considering these roles in the future. Ask your Clerk to book a place.
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Did you know you can report nuisance parking online?
LCC allow you to report vehicles parking illegally in the street via an online form.
Report nuisance parking here: https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/xfp/form/351
If you need to report an issue about a car park, please contact your district council.
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Unity Trust Bank – See How Banking is Changing for the Better
As Unity Trust Bank celebrates 40 years of helping to create positive social impact across the UK, a new project is underway to review the current proposition offered to parish, town and community councils.
We’re committed to putting our customers’ needs at the heart of everything we do. Listening to feedback from local council clerks has highlighted the challenges some customers have faced, from account opening stage, through to daily banking issues, including digital banking, flexibility around mandate changes, and more recently, confusion around regulatory changes and information gathering for due diligence (KYC).
These are being addressed by a specialist project team, and consultations have begun to identify areas for improvement and future development, and we’re inviting feedback from councils and associations, to help us shape their future banking.
In addition to this, a newly appointed specialist relationship manager will be available to assist parish/community and town councils with more complex issues; complementing the existing customer support team, Unity Connect (in our recent Customer Satisfaction Survey, 92% of customers said they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with our services).*
We offer business banking solutions including current accounts, savings accounts, a range of payment services and loans. Our customers have access to secure online banking and a UK-based call centre.
Unity has recently added a range of new deposit accounts to its current transactional banking facilities to expand our offering. A new 18-month fixed term deposit account was launched early in 2024, to complement the instant access account, 30-day, 90-day, 6-month, 12-month and 24-month fixed term deposits already on offer.
We have reduced the minimum deposit amount, to within the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) limits, and positive changes to maximum funds held give our account holders more flexibility. By saving with us, you can be safe in the knowledge that your deposits will be used to help make a positive difference across the UK because our lending practices are aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
If you would like to offer any feedback to the project team, please contact: Relationship Manager (Councils) – Sarah.johnson@unity.co.uk
Website - https://www.unity.co.uk/sectors/parish-councils/
Unity Trust Bank will also be attending the LALC Summer Conference on 24 July and the SLCC Annual Conference in October – please pop along and say hello!
*Figures from Customer Satisfaction survey, Jan-Dec 2023. Based on the question: Having reflected in detail on the service from Unity Trust, overall, how satisfied are you with your experience of Unity Trust Bank’s service to you? Base: All customers from Y5 Q2 excluding those who report ‘don’t know’ (253).
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SLCC podcast - Clerking Forward: Inspiring the Next Generation in Local Governance
The latest SLCC podcast features Shaun Fishenden PSLCC, Clerk to Meopham Parish Council in Kent, and his Deputy Clerk, George Duffort StSLCC, as they discuss their journey into the world of parish councils from a young age. The episode also explores strategies for attracting young people to the sector as well as enhancing community engagement through social media and networking. George and Shaun highlight how having a network of fellow clerks available through their local branch can provide vital support when facing new challenges.
Listen to the podcast: https://www.slcc.co.uk/news-publications/slcc-podcasts/?utm_source=emailmarketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_bulletin__11_april_2024&utm_content=2024-04-12
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NALC National Assembly
Our main governing body, NALC’s National Assembly, met this week, bringing together councillors from across England’s 43 county associations. A focus of their meeting was the challenge facing local government finance and the implications for local (parish and town) councils. It was clear from their discussions that whilst the situation varies from area to area, many principal councils are facing a difficult financial future and are increasingly looking to our sector to help. The Assembly also heard about the work of their committees and considered work programmes for the next two years to address priorities identified at its previous meeting. Other issues considered included changes to the planning regime which would impact our councils, and a report on our financial position, which was broadly in line with budget projections and an update on NALC’s strategic plan.
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Smaller Authorities' Audit Appointments (SAAA)
SAAA has published its 6th annual report on the results of auditors’ work covering the year 2022/23. It summarises the results of auditors’ work at the 9,817 smaller authorities (local councils, internal drainage boards and other bodies) with a turnover of under £6.5m. The number of authorities declaring themselves exempt from a limited assurance review continues to fall as more bodies exceed the £25,000 threshold. More councils are also approaching the £6.5m threshold, which triggers a full audit. NALC is working with SAAA to persuade the government to review and update these thresholds. Disappointingly, the number of councils failing to submit their annual governance and accountability return (AGAR) by the statutory deadline of 30 June each year remains high, and NALC would urge all councils to ensure they have adequate arrangements in place to ensure that return is made in time this year. More positively, the number of public interest reports issued by auditors has fallen from 58 in 2019/20 to 6 last year.
Read the report: https://tinyurl.com/4nyv6hfz
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NALC online events programme
NALC have announced a new schedule of online events for October 2024 to March 2025.
More details: https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-events/online-events
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NALC National Network: LGBT+ councillors
NALC's national network for LGBT+ councillors met online on 8 April 2024. The focus of this session was Pride 2024. The network was joined by speakers Alison McDaid, one of the leading officers of Corby Pride 2023, and Cllr Callum Reilly, chair of the Pride Committee, from Corby Town Council in Northamptonshire. Alison and Cllr Reilly shared their experience of hosting a Pride Parade in 2023, providing insightful tips for organising a successful event. They emphasised the importance of volunteers and partnerships with local organisations and businesses, as well as considerations such as weather, road closures, security measures, and selecting appropriate entertainment. The network agreed that a NALC-led presence at Pride would help increase LGBT+ visibility in local government, and they are currently planning attendance at a 2024 Pride event! Let us know what you're doing for Pride 2024 at policycomms@nalc.gov.uk and find out more about the LGBT+ national network and how to join on our website.
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Lincolnshire Bus Services survey - Have your say
Lincolnshire County Council would like to get your views on Bus Services in the county and are inviting people living in Lincolnshire to complete a short survey.
The survey covers things like how often you take the bus, what would make you ride a bus more, what parts of bus travel you like or don't like, and how you get around if you don't take the bus.
You can complete the survey online here. (You will need to set up an account or sign in if you have already registered): https://www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/buses
If you would like to complete the survey by post or telephone, or request different format, such as easy read, please call 01522 782116
The survey closes 27 May.
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Neighbourhood Watch Big Lunch
Join MILLIONS across the UK for @edencommunities The Big Lunch on 1st - 2nd June.
#TheBigLunch helps bring communities together and feel a greater sense of belonging to where they live.
Get a FREE Big Lunch pack and host your own: https://www.edenprojectcommunities.com/the-big-lunch
#MonthofCommunity
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Guidance Issued about Licences for Temporary Outdoor Seating
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has recently issued new guidance about temporary outdoor seating arrangements, to accompany pavement licensing introduced in the Business and Planning Act 2020.
The Business and Planning Act process provides a streamlined and cheaper route for businesses such as cafes, restaurants, and bars to secure a licence to place furniture on the highway. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act makes permanent the pavement licensing regime under the Business and Planning Act 2020, with several changes, including the introduction of a standard fee cap for both new and renewals of licences; increased consultation and determination periods; lengthening of the maximum duration of licences; and new powers for local authorities to remove unlicenced furniture.
Read the guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pavement-licences-guidance/pavement-licences-guidance
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SLCC Response to Permitted Development Rights Consultation
SLCC has submitted its response to the government’s recent consultation on various changes to permitted development rights. We would like to thank all members whose comments helped contribute to our response. If implemented, the changes would, amongst other things, allow for the alteration, extension and, to a lesser extent, the construction of certain buildings without requiring planning permission, as well as relax restrictions on the siting and size of electric vehicle charging points and air source heat pumps.
Read the response here:
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NALC chair gives evidence to select committee in parliament
Among the nine consultation responses and submissions we made to the government and parliament in the last three months was our written evidence to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee inquiry on the Office for Local Government (Oflog). I was pleased NALC was then invited to follow this up by giving oral evidence to the Committee, and our chair, Cllr Keith Stevens, was among six witnesses who spoke at the session held on 15 April 2024. It was good to see the local government trade magazine LGC run a story on Keith’s contributions, where he stressed that Oflog’s scope should be expanded to include our sector. That data should be collected on our councils to gain a comprehensive understanding of an area, enable trend-spotting, and take preventative action if needed. Keith also spoke about how our councils were growing in size, spending and importance, but that current data on our sector was limited and fragmented as it was not part of the new system. He reiterated our proposal to pilot data gathering with some of our largest councils. He highlighted the absence of government investment in sector support and improvement compared to extensive funding provided to the Local Government Association.
You can watch the session back on parliamentlive.tv: https://tinyurl.com/k7rua2k3
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NALC makes the move from print to pixel
NALC will immediately transition from print to exclusively digital publications. This is a significant step in our broader commitment to a digital-first strategy, which already includes moving office space, transforming digital operations, and developing a new website and CRM system. The move is supported by county associations and further certifies our commitment to tackling climate change and follows NALC's declaration of a climate emergency at the Annual Conference in 2019. There will also be significant climate benefits by reducing paper consumption, energy usage, waste generation, and carbon emissions, paving the way for a greener and more sustainable future. All existing NALC digital publications, including the popular The Good Councillor's guide, will remain freely available to members.
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NALC Smaller Councils Committee
NALC’s Smaller Councils Committee held its in-person session at the NALC's London offices on 16 April 2024. Here are some highlights:
The committee considered a proposal from Alcester Town Council for NALC to lobby for local councils to have the same rights as burial authorities in London to reuse graves subject to legal conditions. This was supported and will be routed to our Policy Committee.
Annie Child, chief executive at Smaller Authorities Audit Appointments (SAAA), gave a presentation on the role of SAAA, the recent report on the results of the auditor’s work and SAAA’s audit lobbying points back to government.
The committee endorsed the establishment of a new national network for ‘micro councils’ comprising smaller local councils with either an annual budgeted precept or annual budgeted turnover of £10,000 or less. This new network will be set up over the summer of 2024 on the same basis as all of NALC’s other national networks. It will aim to meet in the Summer, acting as a sounding board for issues specific to the smallest local council special interest group.
It was agreed that committee members would send NALC relevant links of relevance to smaller local councils to help them take environmental action for upload to the NALC climate change web page. The committee also received a presentation from Cllr Ed Gemmell, leader of the Climate Party, on his local council's actions, Hazlemere Parish Council in Buckinghamshire, to fight climate change.
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Enquiries regarding pay rates from 01/04/2024
LALC have received a number of enquiries recently from councils asking what the new pay rates are from 1 April 2024.
There is still national negotiation ongoing between the trade unions and the employers for the NJC pay rates, which covers around 1.4 million employees nationally. This is not likely to be decided until later in the year.
Until then, councils who employ staff on the NJC rates should continue to use the latest rates effective from 1 April 2023. These can be found on the LALC website under key documents: https://www.lalc.co.uk/njc-salary-payscales-1?#scrollTop=0
LALC will advise once the new pay rates have been agreed.
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NALC quarterly activity report
NALC has published our latest quarterly activity report covering January to March 2024. Key highlights include:
The publication of the chair’s open letter set out his hopes, aspirations and priorities for 2024.
Successful renewal of NALC’s Cyber Essentials certification for the second consecutive year.
Three NALC online events had over 500 attendees with a 97% recommendation rate.
NALC responded to nearly 400 requests for legal and HR advice.
The Local Council Award Scheme successfully accredited 13 councils this quarter and conducted a consultation on changes to the criteria.
The Practitioners' Guide 2024 was published, and our forward plan for publications includes the updated Model Financial Regulations, due to be published later this month, and the Good Councillor’s guide in May.
Read the full report: https://tinyurl.com/msphsr6a
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NALC blog: The Big Help Out
The Big Help Out team highlights the significant role of volunteering during the pandemic, showcasing how millions of people came together to support each other, emphasising volunteering as a vital source of connection. However, it points out a decline in volunteer numbers post-pandemic. The Together Coalition, initiated during the King and Queen’s Coronation, launched the Big Help Out, a massive volunteer mobilisation campaign. The first edition saw 7.2 million participants and won the Charity Time Collaboration of the Year Award. Now gearing up for its second year, the Big Help Out aims for scale, sustainability, and inclusivity, aligning with Volunteers’ Week in June 2024. It aims to transform the campaign into an annual event, fostering sustained engagement and reaching diverse communities. The blog invites readers to join in, emphasising the transformative potential of volunteering to unite communities.
Read the blog to find out more: https://tinyurl.com/4s4a95fv
The Big Help Out: https://www.thebighelpout.org.uk/
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The Carbon Literacy Project
The Carbon Literacy Project is organising an engaging online event aimed at councils, authorities and organisations that are delivering or exploring the delivery of Carbon Literacy (CL) using its Local Authorities Toolkit. On 15 May 2024 at 3 pm, the Carbon Literacy Project Local Authorities team will be joined by guest speakers from CDP and Sniffer, where they will dive into an interesting exploration of these two organisations that are working within local authorities to drive action for a more sustainable future. Local (parish and town) councils are welcome to book the event. They will gain a case study from a local authority using CDP's reporting service, a deeper understanding of Adaptation Scotland's adaptation framework, and a chance to ask questions, talk to the CL team and guest speakers, and learn more about CL for local authorities.
Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/38hdndt3
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New Model Financial Regulations out soon
The model Financial Regulations have been under review by The Parkinson Partnership and is due to be released in the next couple of weeks.
LALC will inform its member councils once this has been released, and the model document will be made accessible on the LALC website.
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Campaign for National Parks nature health report
On 10 April 2024, the Campaign for National Parks published its National Parks nature health report, highlighting the desperate state of nature in our protected landscapes and the need for urgent action. The report says that without legal designation and the enhanced protections and oversight provided by dedicated National Park Authorities, the situation for these landscapes and their biodiversity would be considerably more dire. A staggering statistic from the report revealed that only 6% of the total land area of National Parks is currently managed effectively for nature. On top of this, just 5 of the 880 water bodies in National Parks meet the highest status.
Read the full report: https://tinyurl.com/5fva4nct
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Financial Times article creates shockwaves!
A recent article in the Financial Times is causing shockwaves in the city, with 37,000 views on X (formerly Twitter)! Margaret Heffernan, entrepreneur, broadcaster, and Somerset parish councillor, writes that it’s on her parish council that she’s seen some of the best leadership in her career, serving residents, working simply to make life as safe, comfortable and happy as it can. She concludes she wishes the parish council was where more executive careers began. Yet another reason to encourage more people to get involved in their local council and make a change!
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Cash grants of up to £5,000.00 available
The closing date for the Grange Wind Farm Community Fund is fast approaching on 1st June 2024. Not-for-profit community groups and registered charities, along with Parish Councils and Churches who are based within a 10-mile radius of The Grange Wind Farm, located between Sutton Bridge and Tydd St Mary may apply for up to £5,000 per round.
Contact Katie Littlewood: 01529 305825, katie@lincolnshirecf.co.uk or download an application form from the Grants Page at www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk/grants.
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Lincolnshire Alert - Check Your Email Address
An important message from Action Fraud. When did you last check your email address?
Do you know if your email address has been compromised in a data breach?
You can check here: https://haveibeenpwned.com
Also remember that it’s important to keep your online account safe:
Setting up strong, separate passwords using 3 random words.
Enable 2-step verification.
National Cyber Security Centre: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home
Action Fraud: https://twitter.com/actionfrauduk
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Bees’ Needs week 2024
Pollinators are a priority for the UK government and a key part of delivering the Environmental Improvement Plan. We know that bees, and other pollinating insects, are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production. Defra works in partnership with many organisations and partners to help our precious pollinators survive and thrive. Everyone has a part to play to encourage more beautiful butterflies and buzzing bees in your local area. We can all take simple steps to protect our pollinators and help to restore our natural world.
Bees’ Needs Week 2024 is being held from 8 to 14 July 2024. This is annual event coordinated by Defra, working alongside a host of organisations such as conservation groups, businesses, and charities.
There are 5 simple actions that anyone can take to help pollinators:
Grow more nectar rich flowers, shrubs and trees. Using window or balcony boxes are good options if you don’t have a garden.
Let patches of garden and land grow wild.
Cut grass less often.
Do not disturb insect nests and hibernation spots.
Think carefully about whether to use pesticides.
Find out more: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bees-needs/bees-needs-campaign
National pollinator strategy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pollinator-strategy-for-bees-and-other-pollinators-in-england
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Recent Emergency Planning & Resilience workshop
The recent Emergency Planning & Resilience workshop held at the County Emergency Centre in Lincoln was very interesting and informative. Delegates learned about Community Emergency Plans, Ready For Anything volunteer scheme, the LFR drone capability, Project Groundwater Greater Lincolnshire from the lead local flood authority (who knew there are 21,686 boreholes in the Lincolnshire region?!) and got an insight into Fire & Rescue Control.
The Lincolnshire Resilience Forum has lots of useful information and links for community members:
https://www.lincolnshireresilienceforum.org/
A story map is available on the website to help put together a Community Emergency Plan:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/58c5244bf25945419d0ac397111715ed
LRF also made us aware of free online Counter Terrorism Awareness training which is available: https://ct.protectuk.police.uk/
1. Click on Access for the Act Awareness eLearning
2. Click on Start New Training Session
3. Click on I am Learning as an Individual
4. Fill in the fields as appropriate
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