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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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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Extra date: National Planning Policy Framework update

Following high demand, and two sell out dates, LALC have now arranged a further date for this training on Thursday 13th March at 6:00pm. 

Andrew Towlerton of Andrew Towlerton Associates, will be delivering a webinar (via Zoom) outlining the key aspects of the government reforms contained in the NPPF and more generally that will have implications for local councils and explore how they are likely to work in practice.

Cost: Free of charge for ATS members. £15 plus VAT for non-ATS members. *Note that LALC can offer this training free of charge to non-ATS members who commit to join the ATS in April.

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New date - JADU: Announcements & News Items

Due to demand, a new date has been set up for the JADU: Announcements & News Items bit-sized training. The session will be held on Monday 10th February, 18:00 – 19:00. The session on 7th February is now full.

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King Charles portrait fails to attract interest

Only 30% of town, parish and community councils have accepted the offer of a free portrait of King Charles III, following his accession to the throne.

The photograph of Charles, wearing the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet was taken up by all 23 maritime centres but other public bodies found it less desirable.

More than 20,500 free portraits were made available to public institutions across Britain to commemorate the new reign. A quarter of Church of England churches accepted the offer, as did a third of schools.

Official figures from the Cabinet Office show that of 67,152 places that were eligible for a portrait, only 20,565 applied. The total cost to the Government of providing copies of the portrait was £2.7 million, at an average price of £131 per framed print.

Source: Clerks and Councils Direct

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Save the date! Village Halls Week 2025

The annual campaign is set to return next March on the theme of celebrating, encouraging and supporting the army of volunteers who run rural community buildings.

Village hall groups across the UK are being encouraged to put 17-23 March 2025 in their diaries by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).

The charity hopes to use the week as an opportunity to spotlight the efforts of volunteers who keep these important venues open for the benefit of local residents, groups, and rural businesses.

https://acre.org.uk/save-the-date-village-halls-week-2025/ 

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CiLCA congratulations!

Congratulations to Elizabeth Raymond, clerk to Hemswell Parish Council, on attaining her CiLCA qualification.

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Moving to a .gov.uk domain – 100% of government funding allocated

As of 10 January, the Parish Council Domains Helper Service has allocated 100% of the funding set aside to help councils move over to a .gov.uk domain.

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) had funding of £100 +VAT to help 1,000 parish and town councils offset the initial costs of moving over to a .gov.uk domain in this financial year. Funding was allocated on a first-come, first-served, once per council basis. The full allocation has now been met.

We understand that this news may be disappointing for those just considering a move to a .gov.uk domain. However, there is still a compelling case for moving over: costs are lower than ever before and your council and its community will benefit from a safer, more professional online presence. The shortlist of Approved Registrars will still provide an enhanced level of technical support. We encourage you to keep progressing your move to a .gov.uk domain.

N.B. If your council completed an eligibility form before 18:00 10 January your application for funding should be processed as normal. If you have any questions about this please contact your Approved Registrar.

https://www.slcc.co.uk/moving-to-a-gov-uk-domain-100-of-government-funding-allocated/

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A new initiative from SLCC – for councils in England & Wales

Following the successful Cabinet Digital Data Office (CDDO), Parish Council Domains Helper Service programme, that offered parish and town councils a one-off grant of £100 to put towards the council migrating over to use a .gov.uk, SLCC has made an arrangement with the following registrars who are offering a £100 discount to parish, town and community councils:

• Aubergine

• Cloudy IT

• Cloud Next

• Parish Online

The discount is likely to be in place for the next 12 months with a regular review of its success. You can claim the discount if your council migrates over to a .gov.uk, .gov.wales or .llyw.cymru domain for website, emails and supporting services.

To make use of the promotion, simply contact the company of choice directly to discuss your needs.

N.B. Any .gov.uk Approved Registrar can choose to participate in the Parish Council Helper Service by registering with CDDO. In practice, around 25 .gov.uk Approved Registrars are actively providing the enhanced technical support. 

The current list of all Parish Council Helper Service Registrars is here: https://tinyurl.com/mjxbd4t5 

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Parish Council Domains Helper Service: Guidance now available on GOV.UK

Parish councils wishing to move over to a .gov.uk domain can now access guidance on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/moving-your-parish-council-to-a-govuk-domain 

It’s laid out in a step-by-step format, taking the reader all the way through the process, from getting council approval, to choosing your Approved Registrar and what to do when you’re set up.

Hosting the guidance on GOV.UK means that parish councils can access up-to-date information at any time. You don’t need to attend a virtual session with the Parish Council Domains Helper Service team unless you want or need to, even the contact list for the Approved Registrars can be found there.  It’s a one-stop-shop for everything .gov.uk domain.

The Parish Council Domains Helper Service page on the SLCC website has been updated to reflect this news: https://www.slcc.co.uk/domain-name-map/ 

Any questions regarding the new GOV.UK guidance can be sent to parish-helper@domains.gov.uk

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Introducing the new name for the Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance

The Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance (JPAG) has rebranded to better reflect its mission. The Smaller Authorities Proper Practices Panel (SAPPP) is a new name that focuses on supporting smaller authorities and drainage boards in maintaining good governance and accurate accounting.

Why the change? SAPPP is committed to helping smaller authorities prepare their Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) and meet their reporting requirements. The new name clarifies that mission while also aiming to raise awareness of the vital work the Panel does behind the scenes.

But the name change is just the beginning. SAPPP is kicking off a comprehensive review of governance and accountability practices for smaller authorities. This includes updating the Practitioners’ Guide, a must-have resource for completing the AGAR forms. NALC will continue to work on the guide with the Association of Drainage Authorities and the Society of Local Council Clerks. It will remain free on our (NALC) website, now with SAPPP’s fresh branding.

Stay tuned as SAPPP continues to simplify governance for smaller authorities and make compliance more straightforward and accessible.

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Smoke Free Generation initiative

One You Lincolnshire is pleased to announce that it has received additional funding through the Smoke Free Generation initiative, which will significantly expand its capacity to support individuals in quitting smoking. This funding boost allows the programme to accept more referrals and offer enhanced services to those looking to improve their health and quit smoking for good.

The Smoke Free Generation funding, provided by Lincolnshire County Council, will enable One You Lincolnshire to strengthen its support services, including one-to-one guidance, tailored quit plans, making it easier for more residents across the county to access free, professional help in their journey to become smoke-free.

More information: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/A4wHqeLbgSa3yjwa?ref=Link&loc=play 

www.oneyoulincolnshire.org.uk 

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LCC - National Highways & Transport (NHT) surveys

Following on from last year, LCC have again commissioned the National Highways & Transport (NHT) surveys for Councillors and Parish Councils, to ensure we directly capture your feedback on Highways and Transport services in your area. This is in addition to the annual public survey which is sent to a sample of approximately 3000 Lincolnshire residents. 

The responses you supplied last year provided us with valuable insights, and we would like to build on that again this year. Your responses are hugely important, they help us to understand the areas where the highways service is performing well, and any areas that could be improved.  In a time where, as a Local Authority, we face considerable budget pressures, we want to ensure we are delivering as much as we can with the available funding, spending it as efficiently and as fairly as possible across the county. 

You have until the end of February to complete the survey, which can be accessed here: https://www.nhtnetwork.co.uk/isolated/data/scorecard/new/bespoke/1214

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Research Survey on Community Connections

My name is Sarah Kyle, and I am a PhD Psychology student at Northumbria University. I have been a Parish Council Clerk since 2006, and during this time, I have come to deeply appreciate the importance of our local communities and the connections we share with friends, family, and neighbours. These relationships are vital in improving our well-being, which is the focus of my PhD research.

My final study explores how people in rural, urban, and farming communities connect with each other and with nature, and how these connections influence well-being. We are particularly interested in comparing the support people feel they give and receive, as well as understanding the factors that protect and enhance well-being.

To make this research a success, I need as many participants as possible from across the UK. I would be incredibly grateful if you could share the link to our online survey with your member councils and encourage them to circulate it via their social media platforms, mailing lists, and other networks.

Survey link: https://tinyurl.com/ConnectingUK 

The survey asks about participants’ connections with their communities, stress, general well-being, and social support. It is completely anonymous, voluntary, and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Northumbria University has ethically approved the study (reference number 8328).

If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to contact me at sarah.l.kyle@northumbria.ac.uk, or reach out to my supervisors, Dr. Emma Barkus (emma.barkus@northumbria.ac.uk or Dr. Stephen Dunne (stephen.dunne@northumbria.ac.uk).

Thank you so much for your time and support—it is greatly appreciated.

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Data protection fee regime: government response

The government has published the outcome of the consultation to increase the fees payable to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for Data Protection registration. Legislation will be introduced to increase these fees in ‘early 2025′.

The fee payable by most local councils with turnover under £632,000 or no more than 10 members of staff, will rise from £40 to £52.

Larger councils’ fee will increase from £60 to £78. The existing discount for direct debit payments (£5) will continue to apply.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2dvrj5y5

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SLCC Summarise the English Devolution White Paper 

The English Devolution White Paper was published on 16 December. The White Paper launches ideas which are capable of being carried forward under existing ministerial powers or will form the substance of a promised future Bill. In the English Devolution White Paper – Digest, we have summarised some of the issues raised in the White Paper that most closely affect local councils and their clerks. At the SLCC Board Meeting scheduled for 28 January, the SLCC’s detailed response will be discussed and finalised. This will ensure that our feedback to the government is robust and reflective of the collective expertise within our membership.

English Devolution White Paper: https://tinyurl.com/3dp5bpnf 

SLCC Summary (no SLCC login required): 

https://www.slcc.co.uk/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/English-Devolution-White-Paper-Digest.pdf

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NALC publishes its quarterly activity report  

The quarterly activity report (covering October to December 2024) details progress in delivering our strategic plan, including information on critical internal issues, parliamentary and government affairs work, events, finances, media coverage, publications and legal advice. It features updates from our chief executive and the policy and communications, member services, and finance and administration teams.

Red the report (NALC login required):

https://www.nalc.gov.uk/resource/nalc-quarterly-activity-report-october-december-2024.html

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NALC blog: Faversham Town Council

Louise Bareham, town clerk at Faversham Town Council, reflects on the council’s journey to achieving reaccreditation for the Quality Gold Award in the Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS). Despite previously holding the award, Louise highlights how the process served as an opportunity to reassess, reflect, and demonstrate ongoing excellence. And that reaccreditation is not just a procedural task but a chance to ensure alignment with community needs, update strategies, and showcase progress. She also encourages councils to embrace the LCAS as a tool to raise standards and prepare for future challenges, such as devolution.

Read the blog (NALC login required): https://tinyurl.com/3dp2ef7z 

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Free virtual sessions on councillor safety

As part of the Local Government Association's Debate Not Hate campaign, free virtual counselling sessions on councillor safety are offered to provide practical guidance and support for addressing challenges in public service. The next session, ‘Handling Online Abuse and Intimidation for Councillors’, will take place on 30 January 2025. It will cover strategies for managing defamatory, inappropriate, or threatening social media posts, provide an overview of the legal framework around online content, and offer tips on creating a safe and positive online presence. Another session, Safer Canvassing, is scheduled for 6 February 2025, focusing on strategies for canvassing safely and productively while minimising risks of abuse or intimidation.

Debate Not Hate: https://tinyurl.com/3uufsxdk 

Handling Abuse and Intimidation for Councillors: https://tinyurl.com/3wb8nxmk 

Safer Canvassing: https://tinyurl.com/ye8nmj22 

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