News

This week, we would like to celebrate the hard work and determination of residents in Queen’s Park in London, who successfully set up a community council last year.

According to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), a sector led approach to improvement is to be the 'cornerstone of a step change' in local (parish and town) councils.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has responded to the publication of the three main political parties manifestos with a series of radical ideas to empower local people and communities as part of devolution in the UK.

This week’s Council of the Week has been selected in recognition of its innovation and hard work on a number of projects, but particularly for the development of an impressive new community hub in 2014.

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

With just one week to go before the 20 April 2015 registration deadline for the general election the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) abd the Electoral Commission are calling for anyone who isn't yet registered to vote to go online and do so.

This week Quedgeley Parish Council (QPC) are our 'Council of the Week' for their great community support work, helping drive and fund local projects.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) held an excellent national council meeting last week at Westminster Central Hall with presentations from senior Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) officials on the new transparency arrangements and community rights providing the opportunity for councillors to get their views across on these important issues.

Bracknell Town Council is in the top ten of local councils by size, with a budget of £2.1m and serving 56,000 residents. The council is responsible for over 250 acres of public recreational and leisure space and 32 parks and children's play areas. It manages the usual range of services and facilities provided in our sector, such as having environment wardens, providing various grants, preparing a neighbourhood plan and running facilities such as football and rugby pitches, synthetic pitches, tennis courts and cricket squares. Pavilions in a number of parks provide coffee shop facilities, toilets and halls for hire. The council also manages eight allotment sites and a cemetery.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has backed two tier local government in its latest contribution to the UK devolution debate, calling for the creation of unitary principal authorities coupled with the establishment of new parish councils.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) held their first meeting on 20 March 2015 following the agreement of a new protocol between the two key national bodies representing local council staff and councillors.

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

Frome Town Council and the Frome Twinning Association have received £26,000 funding from the EU to host a renewable energy conference in March 2016. The funding stream is part of a new approach to Twinning and aims to bring together experts and decision-makers from Frome, and its three twin towns in France, Germany and Poland, to share knowledge and best practice.

Communities Minister, Stephen Williams MP has confirmed new measures that will make it far easier for communities to set up new local (parish and town) councils giving them a greater say in how their local neighbourhood should be governed.

This week’s Council of the Week is one that punches above its weight. It has been selected in recognition of its innovative approach to the problems and challenges that it has faced in recent years, for the way that it manages the huge amount that it takes on and for the successes that it has had.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has secured a multi-million pound package of funding from Government to help smaller parish councils meet new audit and transparency rules.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) gave a warm welcome to the Government’s idea of extending the jurisdiction of the Local Government Ombudsman to some parts of the local (parish and town) councils sector.

With two town councils and one shadow parish council involved in the Neighbourhood Community Budget pilots – the forerunner to the Our Place programme and totalling 12 areas across England – the parish sector has been involved right from the outset in a new approach to bringing the community together to shape public services.

Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have published the consultation on extending the Ombudsman to larger town and parish councils.

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

The government is toasting the first-ever Community Pubs Day with an announcement of measures designed to bolster the Great British Pub and protect it for future generations.

The Government held its National Planning Summit on 2 March 2015, which saw a range of speakers from government minister, Brandon Lewis MP to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) chief executive, Jonathan Owen.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) published its Spring 2015 edition of its flagship magazine, LCR (Local Council Review), on 23 March 2015.

Waltham Abbey Town Council is a large council, representing 20,000 residents in Epping Forest District, bordered by Hertfordshire to the west and two London Boroughs to the south.

You have powers to make a difference in your area - saving local pubs, shops and community centres. Support and grants for developing your area through neighbourhood planning and building for your community are available, help with owning and managing local land and buildings, running services and boosting the local economy opens on 1 April 2015. The My Community website offers a range of resources, advice and grants and to connect with others on the My Community Network.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is supporting the 800th anniversary sealing of Magna Carta on 15 June 2015. NALC is asking local (parish and town) councils, communities and people to take a moment to celebrate, debate and reflect on those rights which we can often take for granted, but which people throughout history have campaigned to make happen or fought to preserve.

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

This week’s Council of the Week has been brought to our attention via Twitter; nicely exemplifying the power and importance of social media for council communications.

A new powerful alliance of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and Civic Voice has called on all political parties to make a firm manifesto commitment to introduce a community right of appeal into the planning system.

The Government has published a new guide on the changes and key requirements of the new local audit and accountability regime for local (parish and town) councils from 1 April 2015.

Local (parish and town) councils should be given a new legal right to be consulted on local transport licences, according to a national committee charged with promoting new sustainability powers at grassroots level.

The move is backed by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and would see local councils have more say over licensing applications from vehicle operators such as local taxi firms.

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

This week’s Council of the Week was the 500^th Parish Council to register under the new Local council Award Scheme.

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

More than 730 Commonwealth Flags will be raised in locations throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, UK Overseas Territories, and Commonwealth countries and on 9 March 2015 – Commonwealth Day 2015.

This week we would like to celebrate the work of Bembridge Parish Council, a small council serving a large village on the Isle of Wight.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) announced on 27 February 2015 that it will once again be running an awards programme this year, as part of its work to recognise the achievements of the local (parish and town) council sector.

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

This week we would like to celebrate the work of Welsh Newton and Llanrothal Group Parish Council in Herefordshire.

Welsh Newton and Llanrothal Group Parish Council is quality council serving this local community in the county of Herefordshire. When we say 'quality' council we do not just mean in the usual way but that they have achieved this status in the sector's landmark benchmark scheme of Local Council Award Scheme.

Communities Minister, Stephen Williams MP announced on 18 February 2015 a new £6m funding boost to the Community Rights programme.

The boost to the Community Rights programme will give even more people greater control and influence over what happens locally.

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

15 February 2015 saw the premiere of the television adaption of JK Rowling's Casual Vacancy, which shows divisions in a community played out around a fictional parish council.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) thinks one of the points of the plot about different parts of a local community trying improve people's lives via a parish council is a right one.

This week we would like to celebrate the work of Thatcham Town Council in West Berkshire.

Rural communities could miss out on public and private sector digital services because parts of this country are not ready with high quality or any decent broadband, a cross-party Parliamentary group on Broadband has warned.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Local Democracy heard on 11 February 2015, how the variable states of broadband across the country is causing problems for rural business, councils, communities and people.

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

This week’s Council of the Week has been selected for its strong leadership, dynamism and imaginative approach to community-based initiatives. 

The National Association of Local Council (NALC) is to hold its first ever 'lobby day' aimed at promoting local (parish and town) councils to Members of Parliament.

New research conducted by National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Smaller Councils' Committee shows that it is not just counties and districts that are sharing services and saving money. Many of England's smallest parish councils – often with less than 6,000 electors - are doing so too and improving services as a result. This trend is becoming increasingly important as those councils acquire new services and responsibilities from upper tier councils.

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

This week’s Council of the Week has been selected on the basis of its innovative and impressive approach to partnership working, brought to our attention through last year’s WW1 centenary.