Chief executive’s bulletin

13 June 2024

NALC governance

Our latest cycle of committee meetings has begun with our chair, Cllr Keith Stevens, and vice-chairs, Cllr Peter Davey and Cllr David Francis, meeting this week to discuss NALC’s budget and priorities for the next year, progress on our new website, and working with the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) on civility and respect and local government finance. The Finance and Scrutiny Committee met on 11 June 2024 and received the draft year-end management accounts for 2023/24, slightly better than anticipated. Our annual audit is also well-advanced, and the committee has identified several areas for further scrutiny.

Youth summit hosted by NALC, One Voice Wales and the SLCC

We are hosting a joint youth engagement summit with One Voice Wales (OVW) and the SLCC. The virtual event on 18 July 2024 for local (parish, town and community) councils, councillors, clerks and council staff across England and Wales will explore innovative ways to engage and inspire young people. The summit will look at discovering how to create meaningful apprenticeship opportunities that equip young individuals with valuable skills and experience, cultivating the next generation of political leaders, learning ways to empower young people in the community to take their rightful place in the political arena, and delving into the intricacies of how young people can influence policy decisions. The summit promises to be a transformative experience that will equip attendees with the tools and knowledge to unlock the full potential of youth influence in policy-making, celebrate the remarkable achievements of young councillors, be inspired by their dedication and leadership and explore how local councils can support and promote the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award, fostering personal development and community service among youth. You can find out more about the event and how to book tickets on our website.

Fortnightly county officers call

In this week’s meeting between NALC and county officers, our policy manager, Chris Borg, spoke about this year’s Star Council Awards, focusing on the categories and nomination process. He stressed our collective hunger for local councils and county associations to apply and highlight the work they’ve done that they’re incredibly proud of. There were also updates on recent queries about the financial services compensation scheme, which, as we advised in 2015, covers local councils, public interest reports from local council audits, and the use of public buildings during the general election.

On the blog: LGBT Foundation

This week’s blog from the LGBT Foundation explores why pride matters. As pride month begins, it’s essential to recognise the significance of pride events in promoting visibility, acceptance, and equality for the LGBTQ+ community. These celebrations honour the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement and embrace the community’s diversity. Despite progress, challenges remain, such as high rates of hate crimes and feelings of unsafety among LGBTQ+ individuals. Pride events provide crucial safe spaces for self-expression, support networks, and mental health benefits. Local councils can support pride by organising events, raising awareness, implementing diversity training, and promoting inclusive representation. Celebrating pride fosters solidarity and highlights the ongoing fight for equality and acceptance. And, a final reminder that we’ll be participating in Corby Pride next weekend. If you want to join us in standing united and enhancing the visibility of LGBT+ councillors within local government, please register your interest in attending this week.

Out and about

Our legal services manager and solicitor, Jane Moore, joined Justin at the Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) Spring Conference held in Leeds on 7 June 2024. Justin delivered a presentation on the impact of the forthcoming general election and likely policies of interest to local government in the political party manifestos. The conference also provided a valuable learning experience and networking opportunities with LLG members, including monitoring officers and senior lawyers. I was pleased to attend the 125th birthday celebrations of our Rural Coalition colleagues, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). The celebrations at the offices of AECOM in the City of London included speeches from TCPA’s chair and chief executive, who reflected on the organisation’s history and achievements during that time in delivering their vision for homes, places and communities in which everyone can thrive. Happy Birthday, TCPA!

Local Council Clerk Week

Once again, we supported SLCC’s Local Council Clerk Week. The week runs between 10 and 14 June 2024. It is a week of celebration aimed at raising the profile of the clerk’s role and recognising the work clerks do for their communities. All over England and Wales, clerks to local councils are working hard for their communities, serving populations ranging from a few hundred people in rural villages to several thousand in market towns and large towns and cities with more than 50,000 residents. Everyone should get involved and help celebrate clerks’ fantastic role in supporting councils and the community. Cllr Keith Stevens joined the SLLC Kent Branch to mark Local Council Clerk Week at their Connected Clerks Conference. He gave updates on the Civility and Respect Project and urged local councils nationwide to sign up to the Civility and Respect Pledge. The conference was highly informative and emphasised the importance of continuous learning and professional development. Some other highlights included funding opportunities, utilising AI, and building effective .gov.uk domain websites.

Political party manifestos

This week, the Conservative Party, Green Party, and Liberal Democrat Party launched their general election manifestos, with the Labour Party publishing its later today. Next week, we’ll summarise all critical policies related to local councils.

Association of Public Service Excellence seminar and report

The Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) is a network of local government officers, managers and councillors from principal authorities across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. One of the ways they share information and good practices on council services is through their seminar programme. I was delighted we were invited to contribute to their Southern Region Sports and Leisure Seminar on 6 June 2024. Our head of policy and communications, Justin Griggs, gave a presentation on the role of local councils in improving the quality of life for older residents, providing an overview of our sector and sharing examples of the extraordinary work done by local councils. APSE also launched their Striving to thrive: councillors reflections on local democracy report on councillors last week, which featured civility and respect feature in their findings and recommendations. The research uncovered a startling statistic that 81% of respondents had reported an incident of intimidation or harassment from the public towards a councillor, officer, or other council staff. Helpfully, the report backs our calls to strengthen the standards regime with a recommendation that councillors should be able to be suspended if they breach the code of conduct. Other findings included efforts to widen access to elected roles in local government, which still need to be fixed, continuing policy stagnation, local political structures continuing to divide councillors and devolution, and localism increasing the centralisation of power.

And finally…

Mark your calendars for the upcoming national network for coastal communities meeting on 19 June 2024. Surfers Against Sewage will join us in leading a discussion about water quality and Beach of Dreams, which will present a UK-wide coastal arts festival. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the network and how to join on our website.

Chief executive’s bulletin

20 June 2024

Extra tickets released for our sold-out climate change event 

Due to popular demand we’ve released extra tickets for our sold-out online event on climate change which takes place on 26 June 2024. Empowering local (parish and town) councils to force change in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss is vital. Despite their potential, some councils feel shackled by a lack of funding and disempowered in making a tangible impact. Which is why it’s time to change that narrative! Take advantage of our dynamic event that goes beyond rhetoric and witness first-hand examples of impactful initiatives from around the country. Hear from Corsham Town Council who have successfully risen to the challenge, Save Our Shropshire who run a local campaign to hit Net Zero targets by 2023, and The Woodland Trust who run national campaigns and champion climate action. Find out more about the event and how to book your tickets on our website.

NALC strongly backs higher ethical standards for local councils

NALC has again backed the need for higher ethical standards in the local council sector. In our response to a recent consultation from the Committee on Standards in Public Life on public body accountability, we argued there is a growing lack of confidence in the ability to change behaviour that falls below the accepted standard in the sector and there should be more basic training of councillors on the standards regime. Our submission reiterates our ongoing call for the implementation of all the main recommendations from the Committee on Standards in Public Life 2019 report on Local Government Ethical Standards which we want the incoming government to implement in full. The consultation sought views on where public bodies should focus their attention to maximise the likelihood of problems being uncovered and addressed, before issues escalate and lives are damaged.

LGC Awards 2024 win for Cramlington Town Council 

Huge congratulations go to Cramlington Town Council for winning an award at the prestigious Local Government Chronicle Awards 2024 last week! Seeing off stiff competition from other tiers of local government including London Borough, city and county councils, the town council won the Community Involvement category for their ‘Community at Heart’ project which judges described as a “testament to their unfaltering dedication to fostering community spirit”. Actor and presenter Will Mellor presented the award to councillors and staff in front of around 1,200 guests, including our head of policy and communications, Justin Griggs, at the event held in London. And well done too to our former NALC colleague Ben Murray who was shortlisted in the Rising Star category for his work at St Helen’s Borough Council. And talking of awards, don’t forget to submit your nominations to our Star Council Awards. These awards recognise the positive impact of the local (parish and town) council sector on communities across England. There are six award categories: Council of the Year, Councillor of the Year, Young Councillor of the Year, County Association of the Year, Clerk of the Year, and Climate Response of the Year. These categories recognise excellence in different areas of local council operations and highlight the varied contributions made by councils. The nomination period ends on 6 September 2024.

NALC Management Board 

Our Management Board met this week, kindly hosted by our partners CCLA. Kelly Watson and Lee Jagger updated us on their Better World initiatives and support for care leavers. They also briefed us on market developments and the products they have available for local councils – do check them out! The Board agreed to allocate additional resources to support new initiatives to improve our support to the sector and strengthen our engagement and influence with the new Parliament and government. Councillors agreed to recommend a small increase in affiliation fees to support our day-to-day work, which will be considered by our National Assembly and Annual General Meeting. The board also agreed to support the Mumsnet parental leave policies campaign by publishing our own HR policies and encourage county associations to do the same.

On the blog: Make Music Day

This week’s blog is about Make Music Day, the global grassroots music festival celebrated in 125 countries, which returns on 21 June. Open to all, this DIY festival encourages anyone to create, host, or perform music events, promoting local talent and musical diversity. Events must be music related, occur on 21 June, and be free to access. The festival transforms public spaces into music venues, enhancing community engagement and fostering new musical interests. Councils are invited to support through assistance and promotion, helping animate communities and boost local economies. For more information, contact info@makemusicday.co.uk. Read the blog to find out more!

Youth summit hosted by NALC, One Voice Wales and SLCC 

We are hosting a joint youth engagement summit with One Voice Wales (OVW) and the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC). The virtual event on 18 July 2024 for local (parish, town and community) councils, councillors, clerks and council staff across England and Wales will explore innovative ways to engage and inspire young people. The summit will look at discovering how to create meaningful apprenticeship opportunities that equip young individuals with valuable skills and experience, cultivating the next generation of political leaders, learning ways to empower young people in the community to take their rightful place in the political arena, and delving into the intricacies of how young people can influence policy decisions. The summit promises to be a transformative experience that will equip attendees with the tools and knowledge to unlock the full potential of youth influence in policy-making, celebrate the remarkable achievements of young councillors, be inspired by their dedication and leadership and explore how local councils can support and promote the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award, fostering personal development and community service among youth. You can find out more about the event and how to book tickets on our website.

Improvement and Development Board Taskforces

Under the leadership of its new chair, James Alexander, the Improvement and Development Board (IDB) has set up four taskforces, bringing together experts from different organisations to examine key areas of improvement work: civility and respect; intervention; workforce; and sector data. The taskforces on workforce and intervention have begun their work and the others will meet shortly. Regular reports will be made to the Board, which has a refreshed membership including NALC, Society of Local Council Clerks, Local Government Association (LGA) , Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Association of Democratic Services Officers, Lawyers in Local Government, Smaller Authorities Audit Appointments (SAAA), the chair of the County Officers’ Forum, and other county association representatives.

Audit matters! 

Please do make sure that your council completes its Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) by the deadline of 30 June 2024. Failure to do so can lead to additional costs and a public interest report. The SAAA, which procures external audit assurance for the sector, has published its strategic plan for 2024-2027, setting out its plans for the audit regime, including exploring digitising the AGAR process, broadening the audit market and supporting councils to improve governance including internal audit.

NALC briefing on general election 2024 manifestos

Over the last two weeks, the main political parties have been launching their manifestos ahead of the general election on 4 July 2024. We’ve published a short briefing highlighting key commitments in the Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat party manifestos of relevance and interest to local government including local councils.

And finally…

Two free virtual sessions from the LGA look extremely useful and are open to councillors from local councils. Personal safety for newly-elected councillors – 10 July from 2.00 pm – 3.40 pm has been specially devised for newly or recently elected councillors who are keen to improve their awareness of personal safety. The session is full of practical advice and guidance and includes advice on surgeries, canvassing, home visits and managing unexpected doorstep visitors. The promo code for this webinar is PSC120624. And Handling online abuse and intimidation for newly-elected councillors – 23 July from 2.00 pm – 3.30 pm will provide attendees with an awareness of the steps that can be taken to manage trolls and cyber-bullies, including a gentle introduction to the legal framework around social media posts. There will be guidance on being safe online and tips on creating a positive online presence. The promo code for this session is HOA200624. More sessions are planned for the Autumn, I will keep you informed as more information becomes available.