Chief executive’s bulletin

NALC at the Conservative Party conference

The Conservative Party held their annual conference in Birmingham this week. NALC’s vice president, Cllr Sue Baxter, was there and supported our head of policy and communications, Justin Griggs, to raise the profile of our sector to ministers, councillors, journalists, think tanks and other organisations – here are a few highlights:

• Beyond the headlines regarding the government’s growth plan, announcements of particular interest to our sector included replacing General Data Protection Regulation with a new data protection system, a delay to the fair funding review and in his recorded conference speech (which you can read here) the new secretary of state for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, Simon Clarke MP, signalled that levelling up would continue but with a focus on growth and investment zones, with more details to follow!
• Sue met with the recently re-appointed minister for local government, Paul Scully MP, where she pressed the point that local councils are the first tier of local government and must not be overlooked, that they are changing and increasingly doing more on issues from the climate emergency to cost of living crisis, and that NALC is keen to work with the government on vital issues such as funding, standards and sector support. Other ministers Sue met included Lee Rowley MP, the new minister for housing and planning, and Stuart Andrew MP, the new minister for sport, arts and ceremonials.
• Sue also took part in a private roundtable event on planning hosted by the Royal Town Planning Institute and spoke at a Conservative Home fringe event on ‘Levelling up: building better?’, asking a panel of MPs, councillors and planners about local plans working alongside neighbourhood plans and engaging local people in building the homes people need. You can watch the session again here and the section with Sue’s question at 1:05:00 – 1:17.55.
• Speaking at a Taxpayers Alliance breakfast fringe event on council tax, Justin ensured local councils were not overlooked in the debate, that session is here, and Justin’s question is from 59:00 – 1:01:23.
• And we were pleased to be joined by the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local Democracy, Richard Holden MP, at our ‘pop-up’ event for local (parish and town) councillors, where we spoke to them about our work and how they could help promote the sector within the Conservative Party.

On the blog: BHIB on contract works insurance

Insurance is almost always one of the last things on people’s minds, yet a carefully considered insurance programme surrounding contract works can also take some time to compile. Thankfully, Lee Cleaver from NALC’s partner BHIB Councils Insurance has provided some really helpful advice for local (parish and town) councils in his latest blog on the NALC website, so do check it out.

Points of Light 2022

This week we published the 2022 edition of Points of Light, a collection of short case studies highlighting the fantastic work that local councils are undertaking to support their communities. Facilitating summer activity sessions for local children, running award-winning sports and community facilities, carrying out town centre improvements, funding a community agent post and supporting a cost-of-living day are just some of the examples contained in this year’s edition.

Fortnightly meeting with county officers

At this week’s meeting with county officers, we received a presentation on the Tri Sector Challenge, which is a competition and training opportunity open to all in the local council sector and previously won by Weymouth Town Council. The event comes highly recommended by those in the local sector who have participated and said it was one of the best training events they have attended. It is a good value given that it provides a career development opportunity that otherwise would not arise. We were also joined by colleagues from the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) to receive a general update on the Certificate in Local Council Administration, including training and how this is delivered by county associations.

LGBT+ councillors network

NALC’s National Network: LGBT+ Councillors met on 6 October, hosted by the network champion Cllr Mathew Hulbert from Barwell Parish Council. Discussions covered members of the network and communications, June’s Pride Month and related events, the Civility and Respect Project and the cost-of-living crisis. If you’re an LBGT+ councillor on a local council and would like to join the network, you can sign up here.

NALC Annual General Meeting 2022

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is the sovereign body of NALC, comprising up to three representatives from each county association, and is responsible for overall strategy and general policies. This year’s AGM will take place on 25 October 2022 via Zoom, and county associations have been sent the final notice plus an invitation to their register their delegates. Observers can also register to attend but are not entitled to vote.

Out and about

Staying on the subject of AGMs, on 1 October, I was pleased to attend the Northamptonshire Association of Local Council’s 75th birthday event with NALC chair Cllr Keith Stevens. It was great to see so many people face to face, including a wide range of exhibitors who support the work of our councils. I was struck by the incredibly positive energy at the event about how our sector can help tackle climate change and the cost-of-living crisis. And these issues also came up at the also excellent Devon Association of Local Councils AGM on 5 October, which you can check out on their Twitter feed; their annual report is an example of the brilliant work county associations are doing to support local councils. I’ll be in Durham this weekend while Jane Moore, senior solicitor and legal services manager, is in Wiltshire. We’re both looking forward to seeing even more colleagues from our movement, which has such a tremendous reach across the country!

And finally…

NALC was extensively quoted in a story (subscription required) by the Sunday Telegraph on leaked interim findings of a survey of clerks conducted by De Montfort University Leicester for the SLCC. Issues covered in the piece include politics in local councils and standards, and I thought it would be helpful to share our quote in full:

“The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) represents England’s 10,000 local (parish and town) councils and wasn’t involved in the De Montfort University survey of clerks. Although we’re aware around 1% of clerks responded, we have no knowledge of the survey questions, responses, analysis or recommendations.

“But what is clear is that local councils – and their 100,000 unpaid councillors and clerks – are doing brilliant things to build strong communities and improve their areas. And that local councils are changing and doing more, helping to tackle the big challenges we face from the climate emergency to cost of living crisis, health and well-being to housing.

“Research consistently shows the vast majority of local councils are well-run with few behavioural issues and take their roles and responsibilities seriously. However, NALC is urging the new government to reset and prioritise standards in public life and introduce sanctions such as suspension for the minority of councillors who behave poorly. And to empower local councils through the promised review of neighbourhood governance to help local councils level up their areas and boost prosperity and pride in place.”