News

This week’s Council of the Week, the last of 2014, was nominated by the Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC) and has been chosen in recognition of its many and recent achievements.

Stone Parish Council has an excellent track record of success, which has been sustained on the foundation of sound management and a genuine vision for its community in an area that certainly does not lack demanding challenges due to economic pressures.

A little feedback has gone a long way for Sarah Pengelly, Town Clerk at Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council, the lucky winner of this year’s conferences and events survey prize draw. 

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has asked the Government to think again about its opposition to giving local (parish and town) councils a percentage slice of the business rates under the Sustainable Communities Act (SCA).

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is calling for the Government to help local (parish and town) councils through local government finance after a finance settlement statement was made from the Department of Communities and Local Government on Thursday 18 December 2014.

The Government has published the final version of this Code which replaces the need for external audit for parish councils with turnover less than £25,000. The code will require the on-line publication of information which the Government says will provide taxpayers with a clear picture of the council's' activities, spending and governance and will improve the ability of communities to hold local public bodies to account.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) welcomes and supports many findings of the parliamentary select committee for Communities and Local Government on planning.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is calling on all County Associations of Local Councils with parish and town councils to follow the example of the Hampshire Association of Local Councils (HALC) by forging closer links with local Rotary Clubs.

Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories about the local (parish and town) council sector.

Responding to the command paper 'Implications of Devolution for England' presented to Parliament by the First Secretary of State and Leader of the House of Commons, National Association of Local Councils (NALC) chairman, Cllr Ken Browse said: "Today's command paper on the implications of devolution for England is a welcome step forward in giving more power to local people and putting communities in control of their areas.

The Rural Services Network has published its manifesto ahead of the 2015 General Election, calling for a fairer deal for rural England.

The department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) has informed the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) that the appropriate sum for the purpose of section 137(4)(a) of the Local Government Act 1972 (the 1972 Act) for parish and town councils in England for 2015-16 is £7.36 per elector.

Dunkerton Parish Council (DPC) has been selected as 'Council of the Week' in recognition of the drastic improvements that have been made, following the Parish Planning process for improvement. Over recent years DPC has made a successful transition from being paper driven to paperless.  It has become almost unrecognisable through new ways of working and notably more efficient and inclusive.  

Tackling the rural housing crisis The Rural Housing Alliance and Rural Services Network have launched a new guide promoting affordable rural homes.

Parish and town councils are improving accountability for public money according to a new report by the Audit Commission.

LCR (Local Council Review), the flagship magazine of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has been published on 10 December 2014.

LCR is NALC’s high-quality, glossy quarterly publication with in-depth articles and features offering you advice and good practice, along with regular spotlights on parish and town councils and top tips information to help assist you with the real issues affecting local councils and communities. 

Re-elected chair and two vice-chairs will lead the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) in 2015 as it takes the lead in furthering the development of localism for every local (parish and town) councils and communities, after elections held on 9 December 2014.

Media Watch is a weekly round-up of the latest major stories about the local (parish and town) council sector.

Frome Town Council has just been recognised as the ‘Most Proactive Public Body’ in the whole of the South West, making it an obvious candidate for our 'Council of the Week' slot.

At long last the Government has published proposals to reform parish polls, following pressure by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) to update current rules which are over 40 years old.

Neighbourhood Planning Week (8-12 December 2014) is about celebrating the fantastic progress of neighbourhood planning so far. The week's events include opportunities to chat online via the Facebook page to Brandon Lewis, Minister for Planning and Housing. Get your questions on neighbourhood planning answered by the NP team at the Department of Communities and Local Government, and share your thoughts on the process and what you've learnt from being involved in neighbourhood planning.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) in its evidence to the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday 3 December 2014 called for a broadband and digital only policy strategy that works for rural England.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) conference, Future Local, showed how local (parish and town) councils are helping to drive and deliver many localist actions such as Our Place! Sustainable Communities Act and Neighbourhood Planning to communities. And how those in power need to listen to calls for more influence and devolution to the community level. 

With the autumn statement due to announce a ‘roads revolution’ and a focus on fracking, the priorities of rural communities risk being sidelined, says Lord Robin Teverson, Chair of the Rural Coalition.

Calling for recognition of the national importance of the countryside and our rural communities, the Rural Coalition is today (3 December 2014) urging Government to address three core areas to support them: the rural economy, affordable housing, and health and social care services. The Rural Challenge 2015 outlines a new set of rural priorities for the next Government.

Parish and town councillors from across Hampshire are working in partnership with the County Council as winter sets in a bid to strengthen community resilience.

Lakes Parish Council, with an office open to everyone four days a week, is located at the Police Station, Ambleside in the Lake District. The Council administers 52 square miles of fine countryside serving five communities (Ambleside, Grasmere, Rydal and Loughrigg, Troutbeck and Langdales) as a single parish council.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has produced a new Media Policy Example. This Media Policy Example has been produced in light of the national rules changing with regards to filming and recording at local (parish and town) council meetings. It is hoped that this new example will help show local councils how to respond effectively and positively to the new rules.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has reiterated its demand for devolution to parish councils in a letter to the Times, calling upon "central Government and party leaders to recognise that local government should be the vehicle for devolution in England".

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) are pleased to advise that, following the agreement...

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) will launch on Wednesday 26 November, an initiative that will enable the whole world to view what is happening in the historic market town of Uppingham.

Saughall and Shotwick Park is a Parish to the North West of the City of Chester, Cheshire and is contained within Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) calls for new faces to stand for 2015 Election.

The Government has launched the Urban Community Energy Fund, giving community groups, including parish and town councils, in England the opportunity to bid for grants of up to £20,000, or loans of up to £130,000 to kick-start their projects.

Members of all three local government unions have voted to accept a two-year pay deal from the Local Government Association, resolving a dispute that had seen workers take strike action.

English Heritage has produced a guide aimed for both local government and community groups on when and how to transfer heritage assets to local (parish and town) councils and community ownership.

#OurDay is a 24-hour tweetathon aimed at raising the profile of the great work done every day by people working in councils and other public services.

Uppingham Town Council is heralded NALC 'Council of the Week' at a time when it is in the sector spotlight. A Judicial Review of its Neighbourhood Plan is taking place at the Planning Court in London, as housing developer Larkfeet is challenging its policies and proposals, despite the Plan having received a 92% YES vote.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is to support the global day of #GivingTuesday on 2 December 2014.

It is a day of giving that asks everyone to show the world why it’s good to give. Whether it’s making a donation, volunteering time or just spreading the work, it is a call to action for everyone who wants to give something back.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has launched Delivering Differently in Neighbourhoods Programme, which aims to support principal (county, district, unitary and borough) authorities to redesign services to deliver at neighbourhood level, with the involvement of community organisations or local (parish and town) councils.

Residents of the Cotswold town of Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire will now be able to make calls and browse the internet over a 3G mobile network for the first time, after the community was named as the first of 100 rural towns and villages to receive coverage under Vodafone’s Rural Open Sure Signal programme.

National Association of Local Councils’ (NALC) Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 29 October 2014, saw a direction forward to putting local (parish and town) councils  and communities more in control of how their lives are run and public services delivered to them.

The annual general meeting of the National Association of Local Councils next week is to discuss an emergency motion urging the Government to take stronger action to ensure £9 million of funding is passed on to local communities.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) believes  Sir Michael Lyons report on boosting housing supply was reasonably even-handed and at times pragmatic and proportionate to the house building crisis that the country faces at the moment.

One of our key strategic priorities at NALC is to ensure that we’re delivering high quality services to both CALCs and our member councils.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is demanding that the Government needs to take action now to make planning work better for communities and local people.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) have joined forces for further mutual working and co-operation.

Shrewsbury has been crowned Champion of Champions by Britain in Bloom judges, with the town’s local council at the heart of their campaign to win one of the most coveted awards in the country.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) supports the actions of Unite, Unison and GMB unions to suspend strike action planned for this week.

National Association of Local Councils has called on the Liberal Democrats to boost their ‘localist’ credentials by handing more power to parish councils.

National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has teamed up with Vodafone UK and the Countryside Alliance to encourage more applications to the Rural Open Sure Signal programme. 

NALC attending the Conservative Party Conference with the aim to raise the profile of parish and town councils and promoting our new Manifesto.