Chief executive’s bulletin

Star Council Awards 2022 winners

This week’s highlight was undoubtedly the announcement of the winners of our Star Council Awards 2022 at the online ceremony. The awards are the only awards in England to recognise and celebrate the local (parish and town) council sector’s contributions to their communities. This year’s winners are:

• Council of the Year: Alcester Town Council, Warwickshire and West Midlands
• Councillor of the Year: Cllr Jeremy Richardson, Cold Norton Parish Council, Essex
• Young Councillor of the Year: Cllr Stefan Heighway, Great Dawley Town Council, Shropshire
• County Association Project of the Year: Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils
• Clerk of the Year: Terry Philpott, Ware Town Council, Hertfordshire

I want to extend a huge congratulations to all the winners and a well done to all the finalists. You can read more about all the finalists and winners, and if you missed the ceremony, don’t worry you can watch it again.

Civility and Respect Project

Colleagues from NALC, Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) and county associations met this week at the project board to discuss progress on the Civility and Respect Project. I am pleased that hundreds of clerks and councillors across England have now attended training courses, watched the video, signed the Pledge and used the range of toolkits and governance documents. The project board also supported proposals from its intervention workstream to fund a straightforward guide to help councils develop constructive workplace communication between employees and councillors. They also agreed to brief senior civil servants and parliamentarians on the project and the importance of strengthening the standards regime.

Webinars on personal safety and handling online abuse and intimidation

Our colleagues at the Local Government Association (LGA) have some upcoming free webinars for councillors on personal safety and handling online abuse and intimidation. The first programme on personal safety has been specially devised for councillors keen to improve their awareness of personal safety. Built around the role of the elected member, the sessions provide practical advice and guidance, including references to surgeries, canvassing, home visits and managing unexpected doorstep visitors. These webinars are on 17 October from 17.30 to 19.00 (promo code: PSC171022) and on 7 December from 13.30 to 15.00 (promo code: PSC20712). The personal safety and handling online abuse and intimidation webinar 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 how to be safe online generally, as well as tips on how to create a positive online presence. This webinar is on 27 October from 10.30 to 12.00 (promo code: HOAI2710).

Local government pay negotiations

The LGA has advised us that the Trade Union Side will be meeting on 1 November to discuss the results of their respective consultations and to decide whether to formally accept the employers’ offer. Therefore, if a pay deal is agreed upon, the National Joint Council pay circular will not be issued before 1 November. NALC will circulate the revised pay scales for our sector following that.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding

I am pleased to say that local councils are eligible to apply to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase 3b, which opened for applications on 12 October. This scheme makes funding available for installing low-carbon heating and energy efficiency measures in public buildings. The website includes the application form, videos, slide presentations as well as frequently asked questions to help guide you through the scheme. For those wishing to apply, please ensure you have registered an account with Salix and have read the guidance. If you need any further assistance, please contact phase3bpsdsgrantsinbox@salixfinance.co.uk.

NALC Smaller Councils Committee

NALC’s Smaller Councils Committee met remotely on 11 October. Ahead of the draft minutes being made available, here’s a summary:

• There was an extensive discussion on the Governance Task and Finish Group, and the committee expressed its opposition to any change of its status in NALC’s governance and establishing any special interest group or network.
• The committee welcomed NALC’s analysis of council tax levels of local precepting authorities 2022/23 and made several suggestions to be considered for next year’s report, including the bandings used and data for unitary areas; it was also agreed to discuss financial resilience at their next meeting as the committee is keen for smaller councils to take a positive approach to the use of the precept.
• There was an update on the review of The Good Councillor’s Guide to Employment, and the committee gave feedback on aspects of the current guide and issues to consider, such as the model contract, Green Book, model policies, part-time employees and staffing committees.
• Linda Larter from Sevenoaks Town Council and SLCC gave an overview of the work of the Civility and Respect Project, including the Pledge, as well as responding to questions on issues ranging from calling out poor behaviour, handling vexatious members of the public and councillor training.
• The committee agreed to ask the Policy Committee to consider NALC’s policy on mandatory training for councillors and any associated legislative changes required.

NALC Policy and Larger Councils Committees

Our Policy Committee and Larger Councils Committee have meetings next week – you can read their respective agendas and supporting papers on the website here. Issues they will discuss include policy motions from county associations on speed limits and red diesel regulations, Funding Task and Finish Group, dependant carer’s allowance, Business Improvement Districts and campaigns on anti-social parking and violence against women and girls.

Updated legal guidance

We have updated Legal Topic Note (LTN) 9E on handling complaints. This was primarily to update a statutory reference in the table in paragraph 8, and we have also tied up and updated language as required. You can find this and our extensive suite of other LTNs in the members’ area of the NALC website in the LTN’s section (login required).

In/out and about

On 8 October, I was pleased to be in the cathedral city of Durham (which looked stunning in the autumnal sunshine) for the county association’s annual general meeting (AGM) and to present our work. It was interesting, as always, to hear about the work their councils are doing on climate change, and there was a stimulating discussion on how to increase participation by businesses and residents. I was also encouraged to hear the chair of Durham County Council talk about the importance of partnership working across the tiers of local government, hear hear! Jane Moore, senior solicitor and legal services manager, was at the Wiltshire Association of Local Councils AGM in Avebury on 10 October, where she gave a presentation on a range of legal issues and an update on the Civility and Respect Project.

And finally…

The date for His Majesty King Charles III’s coronation has been set for 6 May 2023. I am sure that our councils will want to help communities celebrate this occasion and are no doubt beginning planning already. We would like to organise an online event over the next few months to share what is happening and address any questions that may come up, including the proximity of the coronation to the local elections in some parts of the country.