LALC eNews 21st March 2025

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 chair and should be circulated to all councillors. This eNews can also be found on the LALC website under News (LALC News). Other important information which comes up in between eNews publication dates is also shared on the website under News (Our Blog).

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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 have set up your councillors on the LALC portal, you will be able to select their correct email address from a drop-down list when booking the training.

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.

If one of your councillors resigns, and they were booked on LALC training, please cancel their place, so that others can book on. Failure to do so may not only deprive other councils from attending but could result in a non-attendance charge (see below).  

Please note our training cancellation policy:

For part day courses – please ensure we receive cancellations at least 48 hours in advance

For full day events – please ensure we receive cancellations at least 5 working days in advance, as we need to pre-order and pay for lunches

Due to persistent non-attendance at booked events, it is unfortunate that LALC have had to amend the way we impose our cancellation fees. All members are charged 50% of the training cost when insufficient notice is received (as above) for non-attendance at training events. No shows will be charged at 100% of the course fee. All charges are regardless of whether the council is a member of the ATS or not.

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Current vacancies

Position

Closing date

Fenton and Torksey Lock Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

No closing date

North Thoresby, Grainsby & Waithe Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

28th February 2025

Coningsby Town Council

Admin Assistant

No closing date

Carlton Scroop and Normanton on Cliffe Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

No closing date

Leadenham Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

28th February 2025

Fiskerton Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

14th February 2025

Brookenby Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

14th February 2025

Sudbrooke Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

14th March 2025

Bardney Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

7th March 2025

Skegness Town Council

Grounds Operative

28th February 2025

Bracebridge Heath Parish Council

Caretaker & Facilities Assistant

17th March 2025

Claypole Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

28th March 2025

Barrowby Parish Council

Clerk

23rd March 2025

Immingham Town Council

Deputy Clerk/RFO

26th March 2025

Hundleby Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

No closing date

Nettleham Parish Council

Facilities Manager

7th April 2025

Holland Fen with Brothertoft Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

No closing date

West Keal and Keal Cotes Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

No closing date

Swineshead Parish Council

Clerk/RFO

24th April 2025


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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Sign up to the LCC Town and Parishes newsletter – email: 

lcctownandparishnews@lincolnshire.gov.uk

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Latest News

To see the latest NALC news (NALC login required): https://www.nalc.gov.uk/news

To see the latest SLCC news (No SLCC login required): https://www.slcc.co.uk/news-publications/

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Mablethorpe & Sutton Town Council become the first Armed Forces Friendly Council in the county

"The Armed Forces Covenant is a visible symbol of our intent to ensure that those who defend all of us are not disadvantaged by their service: and that the talents and dedication of veterans and Reservists are given further arenas in which to shine and benefit from their undoubted talents, skills and experiences".

Mablethorpe & Sutton Town Council have become the first Town Council in Lincolnshire to be registered as an Armed Forces Community Covenant Council.

We are fully committed to honouring our obligations to those who have served their country, and we will work with partner organisations to provide a range of services that support serving personnel and their families.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.

We have signed our own Covenant with the armed forces showing commitment to supporting serving, reservist, ex-armed forces personnel, veterans and their dependents.

We have pledged to ensure that our armed forces community will not be disadvantaged in accessing our services as a result of their service in the military.

We fully support the Armed Forces Act 2021 and the new legislation which focuses on local and regional service provision, covering those aspects of public housing, education and healthcare that are most likely to affect serving and former members of the armed forces and their families.

Our three guiding principles

The legislation introduced a new duty on relevant public bodies, when exercising certain aspects of their public functions, to have ‘due regard’ to the three guiding principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. These are:

1. Recognising the unique obligations of, and sacrifices made by, the armed forces.

2. That it is desirable to remove disadvantages arising for service people from membership, or former membership, of the armed forces.

3. That special provision for service people may be justified by the effect on such people of membership, or former membership, of the armed forces.

For communities, the Armed Forces Covenant is a promise of mutual support between a civilian community and its local armed forces community.

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LALC Summer Conference - 16 July 2025

This year’s conference will take place at the Epic Centre at Lincolnshire Showground.

Come along for trade stands; Talking Tables sessions; workshops and a chance to network with other councils.

Confirmed so far (* Indicates confirmed for Talking Tables):

LALC Webmaster

Clear Councils insurance *

Kompan

Worknest *

Unity Trust *

Hinkley & Rugby Building Society *

CCLA *

LCC Highways

CDS (Cemetery Design Services) Group

Breakthrough Communications *

Breakthrough Communications workshop on “Managing backlash or resistance during public consultations/engagement”. 

We also hope to have the new Greater Lincolnshire mayor or representative, plus representatives from the principal authorities in attendance.

The full schedule will be announced in due course. Bookings should be open soon. Cost will be £45 per head plus VAT.

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New dates: JADU bite-sized sessions

The following new dates have now been arranged:

2 May, 10:00 – 11:00JADU Agendas and minutes: how to post them on the website
9 May, 10:00 – 11:00JADU Announcements and news: how to use them
16 May, 10:00 – 11:00JADU Homepages: what they are and how to use them

The sessions are delivered via Zoom and are available to book via the portal now (login required). 

If your council has subscribed to the Annual Training Scheme (ATS), then the sessions will be free as part of our Core training offer. For non-ATS members, each session will be £20 plus VAT.

If you would like one-to-one support or training, please contact webmaster@lalc.co.uk to discuss.

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How your Council Tax will be spent on fighting crime and keeping your community safe

Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones and Chief Constable Paul Gibson explain how the extra Council Tax raised this year will be spent to keep you and your community safe.

Success Lincolnshire Police will seek to maintain:

Answering 999 calls quickly. Last year Lincolnshire Police were top of a national league table – answering more calls within 10 seconds (96.9%) than any other force.

Tackling theft and property crime. Burglary was reduced by 22% last year – much better than the national average of -4%. Theft offences were down 9% while the national average was up by 2%.

Efficient management of the circa 55,000 lawfully held shotguns and firearms in Lincolnshire. Consistently one of the best forces in this area leading to safer communities.

Quality victims’ services. The PCC’s in-house service Victim Lincs has recently been praised by assessors for being “a remarkable example of best practice”.

Improvements Lincolnshire Police will focus on:

Improving how it allocates, supervises and carries out investigations to build on their already better than average ‘outcomes’ for crime.

Understand demand better and improve the quality of data so the Force can prioritise and deploy resources into supporting the most vulnerable people and targeting those offenders who pose the greatest risk to the public.

Further improve how the risks posed by registered sex offenders are managed to keep communities feeling and being safe.

Manage and deploy officers and staff efficiently and effectively including management of those on restricted duties and long-term sick.

To find out more about your police Council Tax, including how much is received and how it is spent, visit our Council Tax webpage:

https://lincolnshire-pcc.gov.uk/transparency/expenditure/council-tax/ 

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SLCC: Energy Bill Discounts for Households Near New or Upgraded Pylons

Households within 500 metres of new or upgraded electricity pylons will receive energy bill discounts of up to £2,500 over ten years under the government’s Plan for Change to boost clean power by 2030. Part of the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill, this initiative will provide financial benefits to rural communities hosting vital infrastructure.

In addition, new guidance will be issued to developers, outlining how they can support these communities through projects like sports clubs, educational programmes, and leisure facilities.

The bill, set to be formally introduced to Parliament this week, aims to prioritise new transmission infrastructure, unlock £200 billion in investment, and shield households from volatile fossil fuel markets.

SLCC will update members on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill as more details emerge.

Read the government announcement: https://tinyurl.com/2a45wdkj 

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NALC: New compulsory purchase powers in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

It was good to hear the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook MP, mention extra compulsory purchase powers for parish and town councils in his interview for the BBC’s flagship Today programme (2h 35m) on 11 March 2025. This was subsequently confirmed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, introduced to parliament later that day, and which is central to the government’s plan to get Britain building again and delivering economic growth. Key measures include introducing a strategic planning system for England, a bill discount scheme for those closest to new electricity transmission infrastructure, guidance to developers on community funding, and reform to compulsory purchase powers. Other steps include a new scheme of delegation to modernise local planning committees, mandatory training for planning committee councillors, cost recovery of planning fees, and a more strategic approach to nature recovery, including enabling developers to fund restoration through a new Nature Restoration Fund.

Listen to the Today programme: https://tinyurl.com/3mpjhcnj 

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SLCC: Planning and Infrastructure Bill Introduced to Parliament

The government has just introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to Parliament. The bill, if enacted, would introduce ‘seismic’ changes to the planning and development system, particularly aimed at speeding up and streamlining planning decision-making.

The key proposals of interest to the sector are:

The system of strategic planning across England would be reintroduced. This would require combined authorities and combined county authorities, both mayoral and non-mayoral, to produce a spatial development strategy (SDS).  Where combined authorities do not exist, county and unitary councils will be given the power to prepare SDS.  The SDS would not be able to allocate sites but would be able to identify broad areas of growth and set out a housing target figure for the area.

A more streamlined process for compulsory purchase orders (CPO) will be introduced, including extending the existing power to remove ‘hope value’ (value attributed to the prospect of planning permission) to town, parish and community councils where they are using CPO powers to deliver affordable or social housing provision.

A national scheme of delegation would set out which planning applications should be dealt with by planning officers and which should go to local authority planning committees. This is aimed at reducing the number of non-strategic and controversial planning applications that go to local authority planning committees.

The government intends to issue guidance setting out the size and composition of local authority planning committees, and members of such committees will be expected to undertake planning training before they can make planning decisions.

Local authorities would be able to set their own planning fees, and the resulting fees could be ring fenced for the delivery of planning applications.

The National Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) process to deliver nationally significant infrastructure, such as green energy projects, roads or railway lines, will be streamlined to make it faster.

There will be greater prioritisation of green energy projects, including making it easier to install electric vehicle charging points.

Further measures are aimed at boosting new or upgraded electricity infrastructure such as pylons. People living close to such projects/pylons would receive financial benefits/payments.

The government would set up a Nature Restoration Fund, which will enable developers to meet their environmental obligations by paying into a national fund rather than on a site-by-site basis.

Please note that while most of the proposals would apply to England and Wales, some are England only.

Read the full bill and associated briefings here: https://tinyurl.com/yacajnwf 

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NALC: Updated Model Finance Regulations

NALC have worked with our finance advisor, Parkinson Partnership LLP, to update the Model Financial Regulations (England). The regulations were updated because of The Procurement Act 2023 and The Procurement Regulation 2024, which came into force last week. The changes are to Model Financial Regulations 5.4, 5.7 and 5.11.

Regulation 5.4 now says:  

For a contract for the supply of goods, services or works where the estimated value will exceed the thresholds set by Parliament, the full requirements of The Procurement Act 2023 and The Procurement Regulations 2024 or any superseding legislation (“the Legislation”), must be followed in respect of the tendering, award and notification of that contract.

In Regulation 5.7, the phrase “public contract” (which now only applies above the thresholds) has been replaced and the word “advertising” has been replaced by “invitations and notices”:

For contracts estimated to be over £30,000 including VAT, the council must comply with any requirements of the Legislation regarding the publication of invitations and notices.

Please note that from 24 February all notices must now be posted on Find-Tender, not Contracts Finder.  Footnote 1 in the model has been removed.  Posting an invitation on Contracts Finder is no longer compliant with the law. This is not required where a council has invited specific firms rather than publishing an open invitation. Pre-24 February invitations are still on Contract Finder and do not need to be moved. 

In Regulation 5.11, the phrase “into smaller lots” has been removed, because there is now a duty to consider splitting above threshold contracts into lots and the words here could be confusing. It has been reduced to:

Contracts must not be split to avoid compliance with these rules.

It is not urgent for councils to update your Financial Regulations as they should already refer to “any superseding legislation”, however if you are using a pre-2014 version, you do need to update.

The new template is now available in the LALC portal under Document Templates (login required).

Please note that NALC are currently also updating model Standing Orders to reflect these changes. The new document is expected to be released at the end of the month, and this will be added to the LALC portal once released.

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Section 137 Spending Limit for 2025/26

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has advised that the appropriate sum for the purpose of section 137(4)(a) of the Local Government Act 1972 for parish and town councils in England for the year 2025-26 is £11.10.

This is the amount as a result from increasing the amount of £10.81 for 2024-2025 by the percentage increase in the retail price index between September 2023 and September 2024, in accordance with Schedule 12B to the 1972 Act.

Section 137 of the Act allows parish and town councils to incur expenditures for purposes that benefit their communities when no specific statutory power is available. 

Adjusting the expenditure limit will enable parish and town councils to allocate funds to projects that support local communities, ranging from small infrastructure improvements to community welfare initiatives.

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NALC: Improvement and Development Board

The Improvement and Development Board (IDB) met on 6 March 2025 to cover various topics. They agreed to review the National Improvement Strategy to ensure the sector has the necessary support to fulfil the developing role of parish and town councils resulting from the government's devolution and local government reorganisation proposals. The board also approved a survey that the IDB Data Task Force proposed to gather up-to-date data on the sector's significant range of work already undertaken. The LGA announced at the meeting that job opportunities within the sector would be included in their work to promote careers in local government through their national recruitment campaign. They also announced that parish and town councillors could access support through their civility programme. The board approved the IDB Civility and Respect Task Force to produce a video promoting the benefits of signing the Civility and Respect Pledge (join the other 1,720 councils and sign today!). The IDB Civility and Respect Task Force is also in discussions with Compassion in Politics, which recently started promoting a pledge to MPs and principal authorities.

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NALC blog: Internal Audit Forum

Eleanor Greene, the secretary of the Internal Audit Forum, provides a helpful summary for parish and town councils preparing for their year-end internal audit. With the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) approaching, she outlines key steps councils should take, from reviewing governance statements to ensuring transparency compliance. She also highlights the importance of assessing internal auditors' independence and competence while sharing insights from the Internal Audit Forum's ongoing work supporting auditors nationwide. Find out if your council is ready for year-end.

Read the blog (login required): https://tinyurl.com/28e82rnx 

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NALC: Meeting with the ADSO and the SLCC

On 5 March 2025, our member services manager, Anders Hanson, met with the Association of Democratic Services Officers (ADSO) and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC). The meeting looked at how all three organisations can work together to improve the understanding of the parish and town council sector with monitoring officers and the role of the different organisations, particularly in light of the current proposals on local government reorganisation. We'll now develop plans to share good practices and exchange information.

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Have your say on the draft public rights of way improvement plan

Lincolnshire County Council are seeking views on their draft public rights of way (PRoW) improvement plan. 

The draft, a two-page summary and a short survey are here: www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/draftrowip  

Closing date is 5pm on Monday 9 June 2025.

The draft plan has been produced following feedback from an earlier consultation, existing policies, and local data. The draft document shows how LCC will meet our statutory duty under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000. 

Public rights of way (PRoW) are highways that the public are entitled to use at any time. 

An improvement plan must:

assess how PRoW meet the present and likely future needs of the public 

check that PRoW provide for exercise and other forms of outdoor recreation and enable people to enjoy the area

consider local PRoW accessibility to blind or partially sighted persons and those with mobility problems

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NALC: Plan for neighbourhoods and independent commission report

With strategic level governance still the centre of much attention, it was good to see a focus on the hyper-local level last week. On 4 March 2025, the government announced £1.5 billion of funding through its Plan for Neighbourhoods. The funding is still non-competitive, and 75 areas across the UK that are falling behind on the government's priorities will receive up to £20 million over the next ten years for regeneration projects. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government hopes the plans will help local areas regain control of their plans for regeneration while encouraging and facilitating private investment. Areas, some of which include parish and town councils, are required to create a Neighbourhood Board that will develop a Regeneration Plan alongside their local authority. We have already met with officials responsible for the fund to consider how we can help, such as briefing our councils on the areas in the programme's scope and bringing them together to share information and experiences. And then last week, on 5 March 2025, the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods published its Think Neighbourhoods interim report. It argued that a neighbourhood approach is essential for delivering the change the country needs, including the government's missions, and restoring a sense of renewal and purpose to the country. The project has identified which neighbourhoods are most at risk of not achieving the government's missions. These are primarily concentrated in the North of England and other post-industrial areas like the West Midlands and some coastal areas of the East and South East. The report also explores attitudes in these neighbourhoods through polling, arguing that a targeted approach is needed to improve disadvantaged neighbourhoods and achieve national renewal. Further research, policy development and analysis will occur before the final report is published later this year.

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£1,000,000 flooding help scheme announced by LCC

£1,000,000 of additional funds have been allocated by the County Council to help residents who have been flooded recently.

Called the Property Flood Resilience Scheme, the money will be spent on helping residents to install property flood resilience measures such as flood barriers to doors and passive resistant airbricks.   

The scheme will be for those households where the living space has flooded in recent storms. Any money left over after those properties have been helped will then go to other properties that were not able to apply to the Government-led scheme which was set up following Storm Henk in January 2024.  

Each eligible household can be awarded up to £5,000 to carry out these flood resistance works and LCC officers will be writing to eligible households in the next few weeks to liaise with property owners directly.  

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Buy loose, waste less: Shop savvy and discover benefits of buying loose fruit and veg this Food Waste Action Week

Residents are being asked to nominate their Lincolnshire loose fruit and vegetable champion during Food Waste Action Week

This year, Food Waste Action Week, which takes place from 17 to 23 March 2025, raises awareness of the benefits of buying loose fruit and veg, which helps to prevent thousands of tonnes of food and plastic film from ending up in the bin, while saving money in the process.

The county council is supporting the week and celebrating the area’s amazing grocers, markets, farm shops, and supermarkets who make it easier for us to shop savvy and reduce our impact on the environment.

Research from Love Food Hate Waste has shown that if all apples, bananas and potatoes were sold loose, 8.2 million shopping baskets worth of food waste could be prevented every year.

Fact: 1.7 million tonnes of fruit and veg is thrown away every year in the UK. This costs a household of four £1,000 on average each year.

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Rural Services Network: Debating Government Support for Rural Communities in Parliament

In a recent spirited debate at Westminster, MPs discussed the pressing issues faced by rural communities across the UK, shedding light on the unique challenges rural areas endure. Caroline Voaden, MP for South Devon, highlighted the profound rural-urban ‘divide’, emphasising the distinct operations of rural economies compared to urban settings

The debate extensively covered the difficulties rural residents face, from healthcare access and transportation difficulties to economic disparities and infrastructural deficiencies. Jim Shannon, MP for Strangford, supported Caroline Voaden's points, particularly highlighting the transportation challenges that often leave rural residents stranded.

The debate and the government's response emphasise a critical crossroads for rural communities. As MPs call for comprehensive, cross-departmental strategies and fair funding, the overarching message is clear: rural communities must not be left behind in national discussions and policy formulations that shape the future of the UK. The ongoing challenge will be ensuring that rural communities receive the sustained attention and investment they need to thrive alongside their urban counterparts.

Read more: https://rsnonline.org.uk/debating-government-support-for-rural-communities-in-parliament 

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‘Democracy within walking distance’: Strengthening local governance

Michael King, Head of Policy and External Communications, Society of Local Council Clerks, contributes to this article for LGiU (Local Government Information Unit).

As England moves towards a universal tier of unitary authorities, the principle of ‘democracy within walking distance’ has never been more important. The Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) champions this concept as the key to effective local governance. This blog explores why it matters and how it can transform communities.

Why Local Councils Matter:

Stronger community engagement

Preserving local identity

Local services

Local accountability

Empowering communities

Supporting unitary authorities

The shift to unitary authorities presents a major opportunity to enhance ultra-local democracy. By embracing ‘democracy within walking distance,’ communities can secure direct representation and local empowerment. Now is the time for local government leaders and professionals to act and ensure local councils are set up for success.

Read the blog:

https://lgiu.org/blog-article/democracy-within-walking-distance-strengthening-local-governance/ 

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Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2025 to 2026

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published information on council tax levels set by councils in England for the financial year 2025/26.

Critical data specific to parish and town councils include:

The average Band D precept charged by local precepting bodies (including parish and town councils) for 2025/26 will be £92.22, an increase of £6.32 or 7.4% in 2025/26.

Parish precepts in 2025/26 will total £859 million, which is £76 million higher than in 2024/25 and 1.9% of overall council tax.  

The statistical release also shows:

The average Band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2025/26 will be £2,280, an increase of £109 or 5.0% from the 2024/25 figure of £2,171.

The council tax requirement is £44.1 billion, £2.9 billion higher than in 2024/25.

The total tax base for setting council tax for 2025/26 was 19.3 million Band D equivalent dwellings, 360,000 or 1.9% higher than in 2024/25.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/ys9tmkwk 

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NALC blog: Village Halls Week - Celebrating the heartbeats of local communities

Village Halls Week (17 – 23 March) is an annual celebration that highlights the contribution of England's 10,000-plus village halls to rural communities. Organised by Action with Communities in Rural England, this event highlights the critical role these spaces play in local communities.

Read the blog: https://tinyurl.com/49ew8xm8 

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Practitioner’s Guide

The latest version of the Practitioner’s Guide, now published by the new Smaller Authorities Proper Practices Panel (SAPPP) rather than Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance (JPAG) will be published next week. This will then be made available on the LALC website, under Key Documents.

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PKF Littlejohn – External audit (limited assurance review)

We expect that councils will start receiving their 2024-25 external audit emails from PKF Littlejohn next week. If your council has not received anything by 31 March, we would recommend that you contact PKF at sba@pkf-l.com or 020 7516 2200.

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NALC Devolution and local government reorganisation resource

NALC have pulled together resources on devolution and local government organisations. The devolution resources provides an in-depth overview of devolution, focusing on how decision-making powers are transferred from central government to local authorities. It explains different levels of devolution and emphasises the need to extend these powers to parish and town councils.

The local government reorganisation resource outlines the government's plans to create a more efficient and financially sustainable system. It explains different types of reorganisation, such as the creation of unitary councils, mayoral combined authorities, and new parish and town councils. The resource also highlights the importance of ensuring parish and town councils have a voice in governance reviews as these changes occur. 

Devolution resource (NALC login required): https://tinyurl.com/3x8ky4uu

Local government reorganisation resource (NALC login required): https://tinyurl.com/3rmdm8ym 

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SLCC: Consultation: National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism

The Home Office’s Victims of Terrorism Unit has launched a public consultation ‘to understand public support for a National Day and explore how a National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism should be commemorated’. In addition to seeking views on whether there is support for a National Day, the consultation ‘also allows the opportunity for respondents to shape key aspects of a National Day by inviting opinions on a potential name, date and the ways it could be commemorated’.

People impacted by terrorism and individuals or organisations with an interest in victims and survivors of terrorism are encouraged to take part.

Consultation closes on 11 June 2025.

More information: https://tinyurl.com/mvcs2n9b 

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Love to Ride app

Lincolnshire County Council are encouraging cyclists and residents to use the Love to Ride app because LCC will use the feedback from this app to find out which roads are good for cycling or not good for whatever reason.  

If a route is not suitable for cycling then walk it and add feedback as to why the route cannot be cycled.  Feedback from all ages along as many routes as you can fit in is encouraged. This kind of information will help LCC to identify where they may need to put resources to improve routes and other cycling support. 

https://www.lovetoride.net/uk/pages/ltr-app?locale=en-GB  

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