Chief executive’s bulletin

5 May 2023
A new office, a new era!  

I’m excited to announce that we moved into our new office this week! The Bloomsbury Building in Holborn, London is just a stone’s throw away from our old headquarters in Great Russell Street. We got the keys to our office space in the building on 1 May 2023 and anticipate the transition will be smooth and seamless. There will be no changes to our email addresses or telephone numbers, and our new address is: The Bloomsbury Building, 10 Bloomsbury Way, Holborn, London WC1A 2SL. We look forward to a bigger and brighter future in our new headquarters.

New 2023 edition of The Good Councillor’s guide to employment 

We’ve published the new 2023 edition of The Good Councillor’s guide to employment, which is essential reading for all councillors. I’m pleased to inform you the updates to this popular resource reflect recent employment law and best practice changes. The publication provides advice and information on crucial employment areas for councillors to improve their employees’ work and benefit their communities. With so many local councils holding elections this year, there is an excellent opportunity to support new and returning councillors in their roles by providing them with resources such as this guide and our suite of other Good Councillor’s guides on topics ranging from finance and transparency to cyber security to neighbourhood planning. Member councils can access the guide for FREE on our website, and printed copies can be purchased from your local county association.

Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill  

NALC’s vice president, The Earl of Lytton, gave a speech in this week’s session of the Committee Stage of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill on the new Infrastructure Levy which is part of the government’s planning reforms. Lord Lytton spoke to an amendment tabled by our president, Baroness Scott of Needham Market, which aims to require local councils to be a specified recipient of the neighbourhood share of the levy, for that share to be 25% or 35% for a local council with a neighbourhood development plan, and to give local councils greater flexibility over how receipts are spent. In response, the minister, Baroness Scott of Bybrook, said the government is committed to empowering communities through the planning system and that local councils mustn’t lose out by introducing the new levy, but that the amendment would represent a significant increase in levy funds compared with the existing system. She went on to say the neighbourhood share should not result in less money being allocated than in the current system, that the government are consulting on what proportion of levy proceeds local councils should expect to receive and that regulations will ensure that local councils have flexibility in how the levy is spent. You can read Lord Lytton’s speech and the entire debate on Hansard or watch the debate again at Parliament.tv.

National Network: Climate emergency 

A review of NALC’s response to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework was among the key issues considered by NALC’s National Network: Climate Emergency on 4 May 2023. The network reflected on the next steps in strengthening neighbourhood plans and the need to consider flash flooding in any local response. Andrew Maliphant, a project manager at The Community Works, provided an update on the government’s place-based approach to net zero. The meeting also suggested that NALC develop a template for terms of reference on climate change to include non-councillors in the discussions, which would help with resourcing and implementing a climate change action plan. The network next meets on 27 July 2023, and you can learn more about the network and how to join on our website.

Fortnightly meeting with county officers 

I was pleased to host this week’s regular meeting on 3 May 2023 between NALC colleagues and county officers which we took as an opportunity to reflect on how the year has gone so far by discussing successes and challenges plus topics for future meetings. We specifically discussed audit fees and internal audits, training facilities and events, how we collectively communicate with councils, and engagement with National Assembly members.

On the blog: Nash Mills Parish Council  

In this week’s blog, Nash Mills Parish Council shares its journey to achieving a Quality Award under the Local Council Award Scheme. The Quality Award demonstrates that a council performs good practice in governance, community engagement and council improvement, going beyond its legal obligations and continuously seeking opportunities to improve and develop. Nikki Bugden, the council’s clerk, provides valuable tips for councils considering applying and shares how her council benefitted from the scheme – do check it out.

Media coverage on NALC’s call for parish poll reform  

Reforming outdated legislation is among the policy objectives in NALC’s manifesto, which is why it was good to see the leading local government magazine, The MJ, run a story this week on our campaign to change the archaic rules governing parish polls. Presently, too few electors can trigger a referendum on a local issue, the cost of which is borne by our local councils, and participation in the poll is very low. When he was local government minister, Rishi Sunak MP committed to introducing new regulations to address our concerns, disappointingly they are still yet to be given parliamentary time. We’ve taken the opportunity to renew our call for this modernisation of the 40-year-old rules and to urge the government to go even further by introducing online voting. If you’ve had a parish poll in the last five years, I’d welcome your help so we can gather examples to support our lobbying, please email us at policycomms@nalc.gov.uk.

New toolkit from the Information Commissioner’s Office  

The Information Commissioner’s Office has launched a new topic in its Freedom of Information (FOI) toolkit to enable public authorities to self-assess how they deal with vexatious requests. The FOI Act includes a provision that does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if it is vexatious. Used correctly, it balances transparency and the protection of resources. The toolkit forms part of a growing suite of resources developed as part of the ICO25 commitment to improving FOI services.

Blachere Illumination’s new summer range  

NALC’s long-term partners, Blachere Illumination, have created a beautiful summer range following the success of their new Eco Responsible Festive ranges, as their clients noted that their social spaces felt empty each year once the Christmas lighting came down. The summer range consists of colourful flowers, foliage, popular butterflies, and other pieces that can use the same infrastructure and don’t require lighting during the summer months. And as the summer range is either biodegradable or recyclable, they help councils meet some of their climate goals.

Coronation weekend 

Communities up and down the country will be celebrating the King’s coronation this weekend. It’s a historic event, with local councils nationwide playing a central role in the celebrations. I’d like to wish you the best of luck (and some good weather!) for everything you have planned to mark this momentous occasion. If you’re using social media to share what you’re doing, please tag NALC!

And finally…  

Very best of luck to all councillors with the local elections this week which included around 6,000 local councils across 34 county association areas! Check out our The Good Councillor’s guide, an essential read for councillors and our online event in July on demystifying the role of local councillors, which are excellent refreshers for new and long-established councillors, introducing the work of local councils and the part councillors play in the first tier of local government which is closest to the people. And for those of you are standing down this week, can I take the opportunity to thank you for your service to your communities.