Training courses are available to book via the portal (login required)
The April Training Bulletin has previously been issued 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.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
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Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
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Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
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Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
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Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
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Clerk |
No closing date |
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Temporary Clerk |
No closing date |
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Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
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Clerk/RFO |
12th May |
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Clerk/RFO |
14th May |
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RFO/Deputy Clerk |
29th May |
If we are advertising your vacancy in the eNews and on our website, please let us know when the vacancy has been filled, so that we can remove it.
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.
If you need your vacancy advertising and 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.
The NALC Recruitment Manual (developed as part of the Civility & Respect project) is now available via the portal. Go into Knowledgebase and click on the ‘Employment’ card and enter ‘recruitment’ in the search box.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
LALC Summer Conference 19th July – Save the date!
The LALC Summer Conference will be held on Wednesday 19th July at the Bentley Hotel, South Hykeham. Confirmed speakers (so far) will include Amy Lennox (Grant Funding), BHIB Insurance, Clive Wilson from United Nations Association Greater Lincolnshire. There will be a variety of trade stands. Further details will be released soon. This year will be a celebration of LALC’s 50th AGM and we will also be running our Shining Stars Awards again (see below).
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC Star Council awards are back for 2023!
NALC has opened nominations for its Star Council Awards 2023 to celebrate the achievements of the local (parish and town) council sector.
The Star Council Awards are the only awards programme in England specifically designed to acknowledge the impact and contribution of local councils in their communities. The awards are open to all local councils, councillors, clerks, and county associations across England.
This year, there are five award categories for which entrants can apply:
• Council of the Year – Sponsored by Blachere Illumination
• Councillor of the Year – Sponsored by Breakthrough Communications
• Young Councillor of the Year – Sponsored by DCK Accounting Solutions
• County Association of the Year – Sponsored by CCLA
• Clerk of the Year – Sponsored by Cloudy IT
The award categories have been carefully selected to recognise excellence in different areas of local council operations and highlight the varied contributions made by councils.
Further details:
https://www.nalc.gov.uk/starcouncilawards?mc_cid=0a857b931f&mc_eid=55cf3210cb
The nomination period ends on 28 July 2023, and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in the House of Lords on 29 November 2023, where they will be presented with their awards.
BHIB Councils Insurance, Blachere Illumination, Breakthrough Communications, CCLA, Cloudy IT and DCK Accounting Solutions sponsor the awards.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
LALC Annual Shining Star Awards 2023
Do you know any councillors that have done extraordinary work in Council or in their community? Does your Council have young councillors (aged 18-30) that have stood out, doing outstanding work in the community? Or maybe your Clerk has gone the extra mile to support the Council, Councillors or the community.
We will be asking for nomination forms to be returned by early June. Who do you want to nominate?
Categories for Nominations:
1. Council of the Year
2. Councillor of the year
3. Young Councillor (aged 18-30)
4. Clerk of the Year
Nomination forms will be available and issued directly by email to all Councils in the next few days.
The winners will be announced at the LALC Summer Conference on 19th July.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
LALC AGM
LALC’s 50th AGM will take place on Thursday 29th June at 7:00pm, via Zoom. The meeting Zoom link and agenda packs will be sent out prior to the meeting.
The meeting will consider nominations for membership of the new Management Committee.
Every four years, following the ordinary elections, our member councils are invited to nominate councillors/clerks to act as representatives on the Association’s Management Committee. The Association’s Annual General Meeting appoints the Committee to administer the Association’s affair on its behalf throughout the year, and together with the Chief Executive and officers, the Committee oversees the budget, delivery of services to member councils, and Association representation as appropriate with other bodies. The Committee comprises a President, Vice-Presidents and Treasurer (appointed each year by the AGM ex-officio), together with six councillors and two clerks*, elected by the AGM. The
Chair and Vice Chair will be elected at the first meeting following the AGM.
Committee members will serve for a four-year period until the year of the next ordinary elections in 2027. Any casual vacancies, when they arise, are filled mid-term by co-option.
The Committee meets four times a year – usually in January, April, July, and October. Extra-ordinary Meetings and sub-committees will be appointed as and when the need arises. Meetings are generally held at the LALC office in Dunholme, usually on a Thursday evening – the Committee sets the dates and times. Travelling expenses are reclaimable. There will be the opportunity to join remotely, should you not be able to travel.
*There is a maximum of one representative per council.
Nomination forms have already been sent out to all member councils and should be returned to enquiries@lalc.co.uk no later than 15th June 2023.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Parish.UK Network
Back in January, LALC advised councils to treat this website with caution. This is not a gov.uk initiative, as it seems to purport to be.
This organisation recently featured on a BBC Radio 4 broadcast (‘You and Yours’, broadcast on 3 May – available now on BBC Sounds):
‘We investigate a new website called PARISH.UK which asks small businesses for money but isn’t what it seems to be. Our reporter, Shari Vahl, speaks to businesses, parish councils and National Trading Standards about the behaviour of PARISH.UK and its similarity to Government websites.’
Official UK government websites will always have ‘.gov.uk’ addresses:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frauds-tricks-and-scams/fraud-tricks-and-scams
LALC’s advice to steer clear of this website stands.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Mental Health Awareness week – 15 to 21 May
This year’s theme is ‘anxiety’.
Anxiety is a normal emotion in us all, but sometimes it can get out of control and become a mental health problem.
Lots of things can lead to feelings of anxiety, including exam pressures, relationships, starting a new job (or losing one) or other big life events. We can also get anxious when it comes to things to do with money and not being able to meet our basic needs, like heating our home or buying food.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health problems we can face. In a recent mental health survey we carried out around stress, anxiety and hopelessness over personal finances, a quarter of adults said they felt so anxious that it stopped them from doing the things they want to do some or all of the time. Six in ten adults feel this way, at least some of the time. On a positive note, anxiety can be made easier to manage.
Focusing on anxiety for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people's awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem. At the same time, we will keep up the pressure to demand change - making sure that improving mental health is a key priority for the government and society as a whole.
For further support:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week
https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-week/
https://www.rethink.org/get-involved/awareness-days-and-events/mental-health-awareness-week/
Also check out the relevant eLearning training available via Nimble, including Stress Management Essentials and Mental Health Awareness. (See the LALC Training Bulletin for more information and details of how to book).
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
LCC Highways – urgent plea to vehicle owners: leave some space!
A staggering 2,500 Lincolnshire drains couldn’t be cleaned by LCC because of vehicles parked in the way.
Lincolnshire County Council has issued an urgent plea to road users who park on roads and footpaths to pay attention to essential drain cleaning notices after it emerged that 2,500 gullies couldn’t be cleaned because notice signs were ignored.
A recent investigation by the County Council into streets with vehicles parked up showed that, on previous drainage cycles in some cases as many as 60% of the gullies on certain streets that needed cleaning were blocked off by a parked vehicle that couldn’t be moved.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for Highways said: “This is such an issue for us now that we need to address it in a public way and ask road users for their immediate help.
“As we have all seen in recent years, the issue of drainage is a very serious one and we desperately need access to gullies like this so that we can keep them in working order. As part of our need to get on with this essential cleaning and our messaging to everyone who parks on the street, we are using new temporary street signs to promote when we will be cleaning in a particular area where necessary.
“We appreciate that there will be a level of inconvenience in vehicle owners moving their vehicles when we need to clean these essential bits of the drainage system, but we really need to get to these gullies in particular.
“The size of the tanker that is needed to clean these gullies is about the same as an HGV, so the issue is immediately apparent when vehicles are parked up during cleaning schedules.
“Any assistance that drivers can give us in this respect would be a very real help. In a county as large as Lincolnshire, our crews have nearly 150,000 gullies to maintain and keep clear. We can’t carry out the preventative maintenance that we need to in some cases because of the 2,500 gullies that we couldn’t get to.
“This is currently having, and will go on to be, a huge impact on what we need to do to ensure that drainage maintenance is carried out and the impact from potential flooding threats are lessened.”
What do we do?
An LCC officer puts advance warning signs out between 3-7 days prior to the cleanse date for streets included on our list where vehicle issues are identified.
Consequences?
Simply put, if people don’t comply with the signage, then our cleansing tanker can’t get access to the gullies - so the gullies don’t get cleaned. The consequences of the cleaning not happening are that, long term, some drains could become blocked which could ultimately lead to them not working and possibly flooding.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Local Council Clerk Week
To raise awareness of and highlight the important work of local council clerks, SLCC are inviting you to celebrate Local Council Clerk Week on 10 - 14 July 2023.
As part of the celebrations for this week they will be inviting clerks to take part in short, 1 minute videos called 'A Minute of Me'. The video will summarise the daily life of a clerk to educate and inform those outside of the sector.
If you would like more information or to appear in the video, please contact: gemma.rickard@slcc.co.uk
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Smaller Authorities' Audit Appointments announces a new board and publishes a new report
The Smaller Authorities' Audit Appointments (SAAA), on 19 April 2023, announced its new board and published a report on the results of the auditor's work 2021/22.
David Bowles, a CIPFA-qualified accountant, now chairs SAAA's new board. Mr Bowles has extensive experience in the public and private sectors, including the chief executive of four different councils, notably Lincolnshire County Council.
SAAA has also published its fifth report summarising the results of auditors' work at smaller authorities concerning the year that began on 1 April 2021 and ended on 31 March 2022. In 2021/22, there were a total of 9,809 such smaller authorities (9,663 local councils including 1,253 parish meetings, 12 internal drainage boards, and 34 other local government bodies such as charter trustees, port authorities and conservators).
The report sets out the background of the regime, the responsibilities of auditors and councillors and an analysis of the 2021/22 outcomes and public interest reports and recommendations. Some critical insights identified include:
• Since 17 April, auditors have undertaken 23,000 reviews and received 26,000 certificates of exemption from smaller authorities with either income or expenditure of £25,000 or less.
• Over those five years, the number of smaller authorities has increased slightly (by 0.26%). Still, the number of reviews required has increased by 7.8% as the turnover of authorities close to the £25,000 exemption threshold has grown.
• Over the last five years, one encouraging development has been a reduction of just over 12 per cent in the number of authorities receiving a qualified audit opinion. Auditors are required to issue qualified opinions where they are not satisfied that the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) submitted by the authority meets specified requirements. It is becoming less of a problem. SAAA note that the percentage of qualified opinions rose slightly in 2021/22, and it remains to be seen whether or not this is a temporary blip or indicates a reversal in the steady trend of improvement.
• The overall picture shows authorities having succeeded in submitting their AGARs or certificates of exemption earlier than in the two Covid-affected years of 2019/20 and 2020/21. The low rate of timely submission remains, however, a concern. 1,211 smaller authorities (almost one authority in eight) failed to meet the statutory deadline of 30 June 2022, and 188 AGARs (3.9%) were still outstanding as of 31 December 2022. While this was smaller than in 2020/21 (4.6%) or 2019/20 (5.3%), it was much higher than before the pandemic. As of 31 December 2019, only 43 2018/19 AGARs (1.0%) had been outstanding.
• SAAA were pleased to report a fall in the number of Public Interest Reports (PIRs) and statutory recommendations that auditors have found necessary to issue, the latter reaching their lowest level since the limited assurance regime came into existence. While most PIRs and statutory recommendations have resulted from the late submission of returns, some indicate more severe weaknesses, including 12 reporting wrongful claims for exemption from review and four drawing public attention to governance failures. Three of this last category resulted from investigations prompted by objections from members of the public exercising their statutory rights to object to an authority's accounts.
The report also sets out the background of SAAA, a sector-led not-for-profit company that assists smaller authorities in procuring and appointing external auditors. It was formed by the National Association of Local Councils, Society of Local Council Clerks and Association of Drainage Authorities. Three firms of external auditors were appointed as auditors to smaller authorities for the five financial years ending on 31 March 2022: PKF Littlejohn, Mazars, and Moore Stephens (now Moore East Midlands). Following a second competitive tendering process in 2021, four firms have been appointed for the five financial years beginning on 1 April 2022: PKF Littlejohn, Mazars, Moore East Midlands and BDO.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC urges the government not to over-extend development rights
This week, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) urged the government to refrain from opening the floodgates with permitted development rights in response to the government's consultation.
In its response to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) consultation on permitted development rights, NALC argued strongly to the government that policies on permitted development rights should be the prerogative of local authorities in their local plans or neighbourhood planning groups and that permitted development rights should play a minimal role in the planning system because every location is unique.
Read the full response here:
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New version of The Good Councillor’s Guide to Employment
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has published an updated edition of The Good Councillor's guide to employment. The publication provides advice and information on crucial employment areas for councillors to improve their employees' work and benefit their communities.
Being a good employer is essential to being a councillor, and the newly updated guide offers a comprehensive and straightforward approach to key employment areas. Councillors who read this guide will be better equipped to deliver improved council services for the residents of their communities.
The guide has six sections that cover the job cycle from recruitment to leaving an organisation for any reason. The information contained in each section is based on employment legislation and good practice. The guide is essential to help all councillors be good employers and make their employees feel more valued and effective.
With many local (parish and town) councils holding elections this year, there is an excellent opportunity to support new councillors in their roles by providing them with resources such as The Good Councillor's guide to employment, part of a suite of guides available.
The guide encourages readers to explore the resources and support of the Civility and Respect Project. A joint project between NALC, county associations, the Society of Local Council and One Voice Wales. The project aimed to prioritise civility and respect in the local council sector and change culture.
The new version (along with other Good Councillor guides) is available on the LALC website to download:
https://www.lalc.co.uk/good-councillor-guides#scrollTop=0
If you are interested in a print version, please register your interest with Lindsey. We will assess the level of demand first before we can determine the cost.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Roadworks
Did you know that you can access up to date information about roadworks in your area?
Go to: https://one.network/
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
REMINDER: NALC policy consultation – Infrastructure Levy
The Infrastructure Levy is a reform to the existing system of developer contributions – Section 106 planning obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy – in England. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) have issued a consultation to inform the design of the Levy and of regulations that will set out its operation in detail.
The consultation closes as DLUHC on 9 June 2023.
NALC will be responding to this consultation as many councils will have an interest in feeding in their own views on the existing system of developer contributions and how they relate to proposals for the new Infrastructure Levy.
NALC is therefore seeking the views of county association members on a number of questions, which can be found on the LALC News page:
https://www.lalc.co.uk/blog/lalc-news-2/nalc-consultation-infrastructure-levy-36
Responses to NALC should be via email to chris.borg@nalc.gov.uk by 17:00 on 19 May 2023.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
How to set up your new councillors on the portal (login required)
Following the May elections, you will now have a new council in place, and this is the ideal time for clerks to update your council’s records on the LALC portal.
Once logged in, on your dashboard, go to Organisation Contacts.
To add a new councillor
Click on Add Contact. In the Create New Contact screen, add in the councillor details. Under Role(s), select ‘Councillor’. Then click ‘Create & Invite Contact’. (*You must have a role ticked otherwise it won’t let you save the record).
To remove someone who is no longer a councillor
Select the record and then ‘Edit’. Then click on ‘Remove Contact’.
Change of chair
If your previous Chair is no longer the Chair, but is still a councillor, edit their record. Untick the ‘Chair’ role. Tick the ‘Councillor’ role. Then ‘Update Details’. (*You must have a role ticked otherwise it won’t let you save the record).
You system will only permit one Chair, so you must untick the old Chair before allocating your new Chair.
On the new chair’s record, edit, tick ‘Chair’ then ‘Update Details’.
Change of clerk
If the clerk changes, please notify LALC as we need to ensure that all relevant records have been updated correctly and that the new clerk is given access to the portal.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
New toolkit from the Information Commissioner's Office
The Information Commissioner's Office has launched a new topic in its Freedom of Information (FOI) toolkit to enable public authorities to self-assess how they deal with vexatious requests. The FOI Act includes a provision that does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if it is vexatious. Used correctly, it balances transparency and the protection of resources. The toolkit forms part of a growing suite of resources developed as part of the ICO25 commitment to improving FOI services.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Meeting of SLCC & NALC Leadership Teams
The leadership teams of SLCC and National Association of Local Councils (NALC) held their latest catch-up meeting at NALC’s new office in Bloomsbury, London on 27 April 2023.
Attendees were Adam Keppel-Green, SLCC chair, Steve Trice, SLCC vice chair and Rob Smith, SLCC Chief Executive; Cllr Keith Stevens, NALC chair, Cllr Peter Davey, NALC vice chair and Jonathan Owen, NALC Chief Executive.
The meeting was positive and productive and an opportunity to review progress on the memorandum of understanding signed last year.
The general theme was the importance of joint working and mutual support between the organisations at all levels to support the sector. The meeting stressed the importance of encouraging councils, councillors and clerks to promote membership of each organisation and to recognise the contribution they make to supporting the sector to promote the wellbeing of residents.
The respective chairs, Cllr Keith Stevens and Adam Keppel-Green stressed the value of joint working as evidenced in the recent work on civility and respect, the establishment of the Smaller Authorities Audit Appointments and many other areas over the years.
There was common agreement to work together further on civility and respect, encouraging employment in the sector, providing support on finance matters, Martyn’s Law and the creation of new councils.
The leadership teams will meet together regularly to progress these and other matters.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰