NALC announces the launch of the new Local Council Award Scheme criteria

We have launched the new Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS) criteria to help parish and town councils continue to thrive.

LCAS is the accreditation scheme for parish and town councils in England. It recognises the achievements of those in the sector and supports parish and town councils in developing to their full potential by providing a framework for continuous improvement.

We recently reviewed the scheme criteria, seeking views on how this and the guide could be improved. A public consultation and engagement with focus groups, other stakeholders, and several NALC committees were launched. The following key changes have now been agreed and introduced:

• Scheme award level names — The scheme award levels have been renamed Bronze, Silver and Gold. These replace Foundation, Quality and Quality Gold levels, respectively.
• Civility and respect—The civility and respect work programme is a key area of our work, and new criteria have been introduced for Bronze level upwards. These include signing up for the Civility and Respect Pledge, adopting a Dignity at Work Policy, and, for Gold level, evidencing how the council supports a culture of civility and respect.
• Democratic mandate— The existing criteria have been strengthened with the requirement to show active promotion of elections and democratic engagement at all levels of the scheme. Additions include promoting elections and vacancies at the Bronze level, having a co-option policy at Silver, and requiring at least two-thirds of councillors to have stood for election at Gold.

Additionally, some criteria have been amended, and new policy requirements have been introduced. Only applications using the new criteria form will be accepted for assessments commencing in January 2025.