Newsletter 07/08/2023
7 August 2023
Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.
Sussex music festival director says no to spiking – From Katy Bourne OBE
This week a national partnership agreement was signed which will see all police forces across England and Wales take a new approach to dealing with mental health incidents. The new proposal will ensure that the appropriate partner agencies, not the police, are the first point of call to any health-related situations that involve no safety risk or crime.
The ‘Right Care Right Person’ approach was first initiated by Humberside Police and a toolkit for all police forces has now been developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing, who have worked closely with partners in health & social care on the national partnership agreement.
It means that people in need of help will receive specialist and specific support and it could also save up to one million police officer hours nationally each year.
When it comes to mental health and wellbeing, it is important that, particularly in a time of crisis, people have access to the right care from the right person and, whilst police officers will always assiduously uphold their duties to serve and protect the public, we know they are not always the best placed in many health-related situations.
I look forward to discussing what the approach will look like for Sussex in one of my upcoming Performance & Accountability Meetings with Chief Constable Shiner.
This weekend, Sussex’s leading rock and metal festival, Hammerdown, will be taking place in Worthing. Earlier in the week, the festival’s director Harry White told my team about his experience of being spiked when he was just 17, describing it as “extremely disorientating”.
In a bid to prevent this happening at his own events, Harry will be offering the anti-spiking drink covers, known as StopTopps, to any guests who may want to use them. As part of my work tackling violence against women and girls and improving safety within the night-time economy, I have been able to fund thousands of StopTopps which have been provided, free of charge, to promoters, venues, bars, clubs and events across our county.
Spiking is no joke, it’s an offence and it can be very dangerous – you can read more about Harry’s experience and the festival on my website.
On Monday, I visited Crawley’s Manor Royal Business District. Manor Royal is home to over 600 businesses, has generated 30,000 jobs and also has the UK’s largest Business Improve District (BID).
On behalf of the Manor Royal BID, I was successful in securing monies from the Government’s Safer Streets 4 funding round. The BID has worked hard to put in multiple safety and prevention tools such as free security radios for retailers and a dedicated Business Ranger Security team – however, the funding they requested from me was specifically for an upgrade to their CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition system.
I’m delighted to have been able to award funding for improvements to their technology systems, which includes a re-deployable camera that can be moved around the business district to tackle certain issues such as fly-tipping and anti-social driving. The advances and improvements to the cameras will help the BID to work even more closely with Sussex Police, allowing them to share information, deter criminals and further protect businesses.
We know retail crime can have long-term consequences on business owners, employees and surrounding communities. Whether it’s retail stores on our high streets or industrial zones in our town centres, it’s vital we protect our county’s businesses and ensure the residents of Sussex feel safe when they’re at work.
Chief Executive’s Bulletin
Demystifying the role of local councillors online event
The latest online event on demystifying the role of local councillors took place on 26 July 2023. It was great to see so many attendees at the event, which explored more on a local councillor’s role and the crucial skillset they require. The panel featured Cllr Michaella Biscomb, vice chair of Kippax Parish Council, the former Local Government Association chair Cllr James Jamieson, and Cllr Jeremy Richardson, from Cold Norton Parish Council, who all spoke about their experiences as a councillor while highlighting that councillors should have a passion for making their town and community better and how key characteristics, such as confidence, curiosity, and a willingness to learn, will enable individuals to do this role successfully. We also have plenty of other events throughout the year, so please check out our website to learn more about them.
Climate emergency network
NALC’s national network on climate emergency met on 27 July 2023, which has now over 300 members! Congratulations to Cllr Tony Aslam of Wellingborough Town Council and Cllr Sarah Barker of Kingshill Parish Council who were appointed as the two new co-chairs. The network was also joined by Dr Daphne Du Cros (Shropshire Good Food Partnership), who spoke about the Right to Grow initiative she has been involved in with Bishop’s Castle Town Council, Andrew Maliphant (The Community Works) talked about the draft planning application and climate action guidance for smaller councils, and Cllr Katharine Keats-Rohan spoke about Heritage Declares, a group of heritage practitioners who have come together to urge the sector to react more quickly and effectively to the climate and ecological emergency. You can learn more about this and our other networks and how to get involved on our website.
Star Council Awards 2023
Last week the nomination period for our Star Council Awards 2023 ended! The awards help recognise the achievements of the local (parish and town) council sector and showcase the hidden heroes of our communities. It was another successful year for nominations, with the quality extremely high and varied. We received 158 across the five categories, beating last year’s 145. The nominations will be taken to our judging panels in the coming months for further scrutiny. After that, we’ll reveal the finalists, with the winners being announced at a ceremony in the House of Lords on 29 November 2023.
Local Council Award Scheme member briefing
This week on 1 August 2023, we held a briefing on the Local Council Awards Scheme hosted by our member services team. It was part of the current recruitment process for new panel members who are essential in assessing the scheme’s applications. The role is voluntary, and attendance at the briefing was good, with a mixture of councillors and clerks from around the country. The team were also joined by current panel member and last year’s Star Council Awards Clerk of the Year winner, Terry Philpott, town clerk for Ware Town Council, who gave some valuable tips and insights from his own experiences as an assessor.
Welsh National Training Advisory Group
NALC’s member service manager Anders Hanson attended a quarterly meeting of the Welsh National Training Advisory Group (NTAG). The group is convened by One Voice Wales. It brings together the Society of Local Council Clerks, the Welsh Local Government Association and the Welsh Government to discuss the development of training for community councils in Wales. NALC has a role in providing legal support and guidance for One Voice Wales. The discussion included the recruitment and retention of clerks, a training needs survey, and the development of webinars on finance and governance and cyber training.
On the blog: Hope for the Future
This week’s blog by Hope for the Future discusses the importance of young people taking action on climate change for International Youth Day. The United Nations theme for International Youth Day 2023 is Green Skills for Youth: Towards A Sustainable World, highlighting the need for technical skills and knowledge to support a transition to a greener world. Local government is crucial in providing education and training for green skills, like retrofitting, to achieve a sustainable future. You can find more information on climate change and young people on our website.
Fortnightly county officers call
At last week’s meeting on 26 July 2023 between NALC and county officers, the Civility and Respect Project manager, Hazel Broatch, spoke about the ideas that emerged from the intervention workshop. County officers gave feedback on the ideas split into quick wins, longer-term and blue skies ideas. There was also a discussion on a draft briefing on email addresses and domain names and an update on recent committee meetings.
Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme
Last week, on 25 July 2023, some great news was that the government committed an additional £7.1 million to the Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme. The programme, run by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLHUC), aims to support groups developing neighbourhood plans and neighbourhood development orders. The further funding brings the total funding to the programme to over £47 million since 2018, allowing the scheme to continue for a sixth year. Applications for support are now open for this financial year (2023/24).
Community Ownership Fund
As previously reported, the government opened its £150m Community Ownership Fund to applications from local councils. This week on 31 July 2023, DLUHC updated the Community Ownership Fund prospectus to reflect the extension of the maximum capital funding available to new applicants from round three, window two onwards. Applicants are now able to apply for up to £2 million in capital funding. I’d encourage councils to consider whether applying to this fund may suit you.
80th anniversary of D-Day
We’re honoured to support the 80th anniversary to commemorate D-Day on 6 June 2024. It marks when Allied forces mounted the largest amphibious invasion the world has ever witnessed that would bring about the liberation of north-west Europe from Nazi occupation. Local councils have always performed a lead role in commemorative and celebration events, such as the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons, which is why we support this initiative. I urge all councils to support this event. We are working with Pageantmaster Bruno Peek, who leads these historical celebrations and will provide more information in the coming months.
And finally…
Another landmark for the Civility and Respect Pledge, with over 1,300 local councils taking the pledge to demonstrate that they are committed to standing up to bullying, harassment and intimidation. If you still need to sign the pledge, consider it today! More information is available on our website on the pledge but also on the entire Civility and Respect Project.
NALC submits written evidence on Martyn’s Law
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has submitted written evidence to the Home Affairs Committee, which is undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Terrorism (Prevention of Premises) Bill.
In the evidence, NALC has supported the government’s aim of making the public safer at publicly accessible locations and security measures but stressed that interventions should be reasonable, affordable, and proportionate. While NALC is keen to work with the government on the Bill, it is concerned about the lack of engagement with the local council sector. NALC also highlighted the impact the legislation would have on councils as organisers of events covered by the duty, the lack of an impact assessment including costs, concerns about the capacity thresholds being used and the need for proportionality, especially of risk, lack of clarity on the regulator and enforcement, the need for a communications campaign and dedicated programme of support and guidance, and an extensive lead in time to allow councils to prepare.
NALC concerns are included in the Home Affairs Committee’s response published on 27 July 2023. The committee has warned the draft bill fails to address the real risk of terror attacks and that small venues face implementing costly measures while larger venues fall out of scope. It calls for the legislation to be introduced in stages (with larger venues first), further research to assess the threat to small organisations and venues, adequate funding to be in place, a communications campaign and comprehensive proposals for the regulator.
The Bill sets out requirements that venues and organisations must meet to ensure public safety. The proposed legislation is known as Martyn’s Law in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017 and whose mother, Figen Murray, has since campaigned for greater security at venues.
Demystify the role of local councillors
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) held an online event about demystifying the role of local councillors on 26 July 2023, which looked at a local councillor’s role and the crucial skillset they require.
The expert panel featured Cllr Michaella Biscomb, vice chair of Kippax Parish Council, the former Local Government Association chair Cllr James Jamieson, and Cllr Jeremy Richardson, from Cold Norton Parish Council, who all spoke about their experiences as a councillor while highlighting that councillors should have a passion for making their town and community better and how key characteristics, such as confidence, curiosity, and a willingness to learn, will enable individuals to do this role successfully.
Cllr Michaella emphasised that councillors need four skills: confidence and curiosity, willingness to learn, energy and enthusiasm to get involved, and knowing when to bite your tongue. She stated, “As a councillor, it is essential to have the skill of confidence and curiosity to not always rely on people who have been councillors for a long time telling you this is how procedures and process have always been done”.
Cllr Richardson stressed the importance of building a team with fellow councillors and the local community. He said, “At the village level, the most important team you can build is with the residents”.
Cllr Jamieson spoke about returning to basics, stating, “No matter what type of councillor you are, the job’s core is the same. It is about improving your place. It is about working with people to improve your town and community”.
Find out more about NALC online events
White ribbon accreditation
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has moved closer to becoming White Ribbon accredited after its steering group met on 25 July 2023.
The group approved the three-year action to implement between 2023 and 2026. The action plan includes various activities, timescales, target dates and how it will be evidenced. NALC will now submit its application and work towards completing the action plan.
At the meeting, Cllr Kay Wesley, White Ribbon Champion and deputy town mayor of Congleton Town Council shared what her council is doing to encourage people to take the White Ribbon promise with the success of a White Ribbon stall at Congleton Pride on 22 July 2023.
With rapid progress over the last few months, the group agreed to move meetings bi-monthly. NALC will continue to provide regular updates when they become available.
Find out more about White Ribbon UK
Climate Emergency Network
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) national network on climate emergency appointed new co-chairs at its meeting on 27 July 2023.
Cllr Tony Aslam of Wellingborough Town Council (Northamptonshire) and Cllr Sarah Barker of Kingshill Parish Council (Kent) were appointed as network co-chairs from January 2024. While Cllr Chris Church of Botley & North Hinksey Parish Council (Oxford), Cllr Katharine Keats-Rohan of Wallingford Town Council (Oxford) and Charmaine Keatley, chief executive officer of the Kent Association of Local Councils also agreed to monitor communications between network members.
The network was joined by Dr Daphne Du Cros, director and coordinator for the Shropshire Good Food Partnership, to discuss the Right to Grow initiative she has been involved in with Bishop’s Castle Town Council. Andrew Maliphant, project manager for The Community Works, addressed the draft planning application and climate action guidance for smaller councils, where members commented it could do with a section on retrofitting heritage buildings. Cllr Keats-Rohan spoke about Heritage Declares, a group of heritage practitioners who have come together to urge the sector to react more quickly and effectively to the climate and ecological emergency.
Find out more about the climate emergency network and how to get involved