Training courses are available to book via the portal (login required)
The Training Bulletin is issued monthly, and courses are available to book via the portal. If there is any specific training which you feel would be valuable, and we don’t currently offer it, please let us know and we will investigate. The Training Bulletin can be found on the LALC website www.lalc.co.uk/training-2-1.
Clerks – when booking training for your councillors, please ensure that their email address is correct. If not, they will not receive the booking confirmation or any joining instructions.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
|
Position |
Closing date |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
10th July |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
Not specified |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
No closing date |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
30th July |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
31st July |
|
|
RFO |
25th August |
|
|
Village Handyperson |
25th August |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
16th August |
|
|
Senior Engagement Officer |
3rd September |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
15th September |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
12th September |
|
|
Clerk/RFO |
11th September |
If we are advertising your vacancy in the eNews and on our website, please let us know when the vacancy has been filled, so that we can remove it. If your vacancy has not yet been filled and you are continuing to advertise, please let us know of any revised closing date. If you no longer specify a closing date, please let us know so that we can update the vacancy adverts.
If you need your vacancy advertising and do not have a pre-prepared advert to send us, please complete our Vacancy Template, which can be found in the Members Portal under Document Templates. All adverts will be placed on the LALC website. If you wish to advertise using our paid advert service including Lincolnshire County Council, Indeed and LinkedIn which costs £60 please email the LALC office on enquiries @lalc.co.uk with your completed Vacancy Template – we must have that information as a minimum to ensure the information we need is clearly set out. We recommend all councils to advertise their vacancy, job details, method of application and up to date contact details on their own website too.
The NALC Recruitment Manual (developed as part of the Civility & Respect project) is now available via the portal. Go into Knowledgebase and click on 'Recruitment Manual' in the 'Employment' menu area.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
First Aid training – last few spaces available
We have limited places available on the First Aid training being held on 19th September (9:30 – 16:30) at Dunholme Old School. Please book via the portal. This is non-core training, costing £65 plus VAT. Attendees who are successfully assessed will receive a First Aid at Work certificate valid for 3 years.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Government Proposes New Building Requirements for Separate Male and Female Toilets
The government is proposing changes to new building regulations, whereby all new non-domestic public and private buildings in England will be required to provide separate single-sex toilets for women and men, or as a minimum, a self-contained, private toilet.
The proposed change has arisen from dignity and privacy concerns from women and elderly people who feel they are being unfairly disadvantaged with publicly accessible toilets increasingly converted into gender neutral facilities. To help maximise privacy and dignity for all, in addition to single sex toilets becoming the default for new non-residential buildings, the guidelines will also encourage the consideration of additional self-contained toilets.
The government has launched a technical consultation on its proposal, closing on 8 October 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/toilet-provision-in-buildings-other-than-dwellings-technical-consultation
Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/s28jvrc3
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC / De Montfort University Local Council Elections Survey 2023
NALC have teamed up with De Montfort University’s Local Governance Research Centre (LGRC) to conduct a new national data collection about the local (parish and town) council elections held on 4 May 2023. This research will allow us to learn much more about how to support the running of local elections and how to ensure that local councils are able to hold elections locally without having to rely as much on co-option.
To support this, we are asking a representative of each local council which held elections on 4 May this year to complete a short survey to tell us about their experiences of the election. We are seeking one response per council, on behalf of the council, from either the clerk or the mayor/chair of the council.
This survey seeks to understand:
• How local councils were supported to run the election
• Which support helps most
• How councils encourage potential candidates to stand for election
• How successful different approaches are
• The processes used to co-opt additional councillors when the council has insufficient elected councillors
The survey takes less than 15 minutes to complete. While we fully understand that there are many demands on your time, it is crucial to get the views of local councils like yours.
The deadline for completion of both the local council and county association survey questions is 17:00 on Friday 6 October 2023.
To access the survey, please click the following link:
https://de-montfort.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/nalc-lgrc-election-survey-2023
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
£1.1M to be invested in local communities - UK Shared Prosperity GRASSroots Grants
Staff and Trustees at Lincolnshire Community Foundation (LCF) in conjunction with South & East Lincolnshire Council’s Partnership are pleased to announce the launch of a flagship grants scheme, GRASSroots Grants which is available to organisations (charities, community groups, social enterprises, Parish & Town Councils etc) operating for the benefit of people living in East Lindsey, Boston Borough, or South Holland District Council areas.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business and people and skills.
Grants of up to £24,999 are available to enable places to invest in and/or restore their community spaces and create the foundations for growth at neighbourhood level. The intention is to strengthen the social fabric of communities, building pride in place by improving local community facilities, creating opportunities to bring people together and create social connections that will grow and thrive. The fund will support both capital and revenue costs and is keen to level up communities, providing access to activities and opportunities for people living in rurally isolated areas.
The application process is straight forward, and help is available every step of the way from LCF staff and Community Development Workers at YMCA, whether it’s when the seed of a project idea forms, up to completing monitoring and evaluation in the event a bid is successful. As part of the programme, we will be working closely with YMCA Lincolnshire who will be providing on the ground Community Engagement Services supporting rural places across all three districts. Their expert team will work with community assets and voluntary groups to identify and develop local responses to the challenges of rural isolation, aiming to create stronger, prouder, and more resilient rural communities.
The first closing date for receipt of completed applications and supporting documentation is on 15 September 2023 and, following that, on 1 December 2023, and 1 March & 1 June 2024 with decisions notified within 6-8 weeks of the closing date. Payments are usually made in arrears. However, where an applicant doesn’t have the financial resources to cover the project costs, payments may be made in advance or in staged payments.
Examples of the type of investment that will be considered include: capital improvement costs to village halls and community hubs; events (cultural, arts, heritage and community) that bring communities together; community play areas; projects that build local capacity (volunteer recruitment, training and retention); digital connectivity; local transport initiatives; community projects aimed at reducing the cost of living. These are only examples, and we would encourage you to get in touch to have a chat about a prospective bid. Priority will be given to projects that can demonstrate they’ve sourced and secured match funding and we would strongly advise applicants to ensure this is the case before applying.
Full details are available on the Lincolnshire Community Foundation’s Grants Page at www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk.
In a joint statement, Councillor Steve Kirk, portfolio holder for The Coastal Economy, and Councillor Adam Grist, portfolio holder for Market Towns and the Rural Economy at East Lindsey District Council and Councillor Paul Redgate, portfolio holder for Finance, Commercialisation, Levelling Up and UK Shared Prosperity Funding at South Holland District Council, said: "This funding gives a vital boost for parishes to improve their village halls, their popular clubs and allotments - which will be hugely beneficial to the people who live in those communities and visitors too.
"Additionally, this also gives a helping hand to those who want to set up a new initiative, perhaps a community transport service or an event in their rural community.
"We are so pleased to see this money spreading out across the area, not just in the bigger towns but also the smaller villages which we know will very much appreciate this funding."
Sue Fortune, CEO at Lincolnshire Community Foundation says: “This is an incredible opportunity for organisations based within the heart of their community to access much needed funding whether it’s to install a new kitchen in a much-used rural village hall, reinvigorate a local village tradition or celebrate a local hero, or secure that last bit of funding to complete a community play area. I’d encourage any group interested in applying, but not sure whether they might be eligible, to contact Helen Cater at the Foundation”.
For an application form and more information: Contact helen@lincolnshirecf.co.uk, Telephone (01529) 305825, or download the Fund Guidelines and an Application Form from our Grants Page at https://lincolnshirecf.co.uk/available-grants/
About Lincolnshire Community Foundation
Lincolnshire Community Foundation is the County’s leading independent grant maker founded in 2002 and part of the network of 48 Community Foundations across the UK delivering positive outcomes for People and Places. Our work is grounded in the value of #ChangeNotCharity. The Foundation has, since its inception, distributed upwards of £19M with emphasis on small grants delivering a big difference.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
A salutary lesson – what happens when you fail to declare all the facts for insurance cover
Clevedon Town Council in North Somerset recently had to close its public spaces after the council’s insurer withdrew its insurance cover as the result of one of its councillors failing to disclose CCJ’s registered against him. Under the terms of the cover, any failure to disclose would be reason to withdraw the council’s insurance.
Following representations by NALC, the insurer has agreed to reinstate cover for Public Liability and Employment Liability but not for Public Fidelity Guarantee.
Read the full story here: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/clevedon-town-council-explains-decision-to-close-towns-public-spaces/ar-AA1frreH
The issue is that all facts have to be declared at the time of taking out insurance and in this case, it became apparent that some facts had not been disclosed so the insurer withdrew or refused to renew all insurance cover. As a consequence of the insurer refusing to insure the council, all services had to close. Also trying to find another insurer is difficult because every time another insurer is approached, they (as part of their risk assessment) will ask if the insured has ever had insurance declined or refused and if the answer is ‘yes’ then the facts have to come out about the past criminal convictions or CCJ’s for a councillor.
In this case that loss of insurance cover for a seaside town in Summer meant it hit the news. It is suggested that insurance has been secured now with the help of NALC but with certain types of insurance cover being excluded relevant to the increased risk that was identified because of the past criminal convictions or CCJs of one its councillors.
NALC will issue guidance after further discussions with the finance industry (which may take some time).
Every council is responsible for disclosing all facts to their insurer at the time of taking out the insurance, renewal and when material facts change. There is no requirement for councillors to all complete a DBS (and if this was undertaken this may lead to significant costs and data protection issues) but every council should be aware that non-disclosure by an officer or councillor of a material fact may lead to all or some of the council’s insurance cover being withdrawn or a claim declined and potential reputational risk.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Callconnect £2 Fare Cap
From 4 September 2023, all Callconnect single rides are capped at £2 (In line with the Government Initiative). Travel around for £2!
If your single ride fare is less than £2 currently, this will remain the same. If you have a concessionary bus pass, these are accepted on Callconnect services for free travel.
For help/advice please call our friendly team on 0345 234 3344 (Lincolnshire) 0345 263 8153 (Bourne, Stamford & Peterborough)
See more: https://lincsbus.info/callconnect/callconnect-news/
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC governance elections are now open!
On 23 August 2023, we launched our governance elections, inviting National Assembly members to elect the NALC chair, vice-chairs and committee members. The process will take 14 weeks, with the results announced on 29 November 2023. There are opportunities for councillors and clerks who are not members of the National Assembly to get involved too! To encourage participation and representation from all backgrounds, these individuals can stand for direct elections to the Larger Councils Committee and the Smaller Councils Committee. We've created a dedicated webpage outlining committee information, election seats and timelines to support the process: https://tinyurl.com/mumy7cf2
We have also partnered with UK Engage to manage online elections to ensure a smooth and streamlined process. This innovative approach will facilitate a more accessible and efficient voting procedure.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC Local Council Award Scheme
We also announced the latest Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS) results on 23 August 2023. Congratulations to the latest local (parish and town) councils to be accredited under the LCAS. LCAS celebrates the best of local councils, helps them develop their potential, and recognises that they are well-run and meet the required standards. The latest councils accredited with the Quality Gold Award are Wen Rural Parish Council and Westerham Town Council. Bletchley & Fenny Stratford Town Council, City of Durham Parish Council, Waddesdon Parish Council, and Whitchurch Town Council were accredited with the Quality Award. And Bingham Town Council, Chalfont St Giles Parish Council, Honiton Town Council, Knaresborough Town Council, Roade Parish Council, and Selby Town Council were accredited with the Foundation Award. Well done to everyone involved. You can learn more about the scheme and how to apply on our website: https://tinyurl.com/zukvjzcd
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC On the blog: LGA Liberal Democrats Group
This week's blog is written by the leader of the Local Government Associations (LGA) Liberal Democrats Group, Cllr Joe Harris. The blog covers the theme of our fringe event at the LGA Annual Conference on 5 July 2023 on why parish councils matter, where LGA's political groups joined us to share what they think. He writes about how local councils play a crucial role in local democracy by serving as the community's voice and shares six key areas where he believes local councils excel. Read the blog to find out more!
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
#StreetSafe
What is StreetSafe?
As part of the government’s agenda to tackle violence against women and girls, we are promoting an online tool called StreetSafe to enable everyone to report locations where they feel or have felt unsafe and to identify the features on why that location made them feel unsafe.
StreetSafe is a national initiative and has been developed in cooperation with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
What data is being collected?
The focus of the initiative is to identify particular areas and factors that lead to people feeling unsafe and might help offenders either commit or conceal a crime – such as street lighting, abandoned buildings or poorly designed spaces, vandalism, as well as behaviours of individuals or groups of people.
StreetSafe is anonymous. There will be no questions about identity, such as name or date of birth. However, there are optional questions about crime reporting as well as age, sex, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, illnesses or disabilities. We are asking for this information because it helps us to have a better understanding of the concerns.
The tool captures:
· location data (longitude and latitude) provided by Google Maps
· answers to questions about the place that may cause people to feel unsafe
· answers to questions about peoples’ behaviour that may cause respondents to feel unsafe
· reasons for not reporting a crime
· information about respondents characteristics (like age range and gender) but nothing that could identify them (like name or contact details)
The StreetSafe tool is hosted nationally but can be accessed via our Lincs Police StreetSafe page: https://www.lincs.police.uk/notices/street-safe/street-safe/
You said, we did…
Our aim is to report back on results received and actions taken by ourselves and, where relevant, any referrals or work we have done with partner agencies. Therefore it’s vital that we get as many reports as possible in order to fully understand where the issues are and the reasons why people don’t feel safe in particular areas.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC National Networks
NALC's national networks aim to use the growing use of digital communications by local (parish and town) councils and the more recent shift to remote meetings and events to:
• Connect local councils and councillors from across the country around common interests and groups
• Engage groups around NALC’s work and campaigns
• Provide mutual support to each other
• Share learning and good practice
The network meetings are held quarterly via Zoom. Network members will receive email communication and have access to network WhatsApp groups.
To join any national network just fill in your details at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/national-networks
Climate emergency
This network is for local councils already or considering taking action locally to help tackle the climate and ecological emergency. Next meeting 19th October.
Coastal Communities
This network is for local councils in coastal areas. Next meeting 26th September and 23rd November.
LGBT+ Councillors
This network is for councillors currently serving on a local council who identify as being LGBT+. Next Meeting 5th October.
Super Councils
This network is for the largest local councils which have an annual precept of over £1m or an annual turnover of over £1.5m. Next Meeting 21 September and 15 November.
Women Councillors
This network is for women councillors who are currently serving on a local council. Next meetings 7 September and 11 October.
Young Councillors
This network is for younger councillors aged under 40 who are currently serving on a local council. Next meeting 8 November 2023.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC National Network: LGBT+ councillors
On behalf of NALC's national network for LGBT+ councillors, we launched a survey on 22 August 2023 to help shape the network's future. The survey aims to gain insight into the experiences of the LGBT+ community from the sector. The survey responses will help co-champions, Cllr Andy Snape (Flitwick Town Council) and Cllr Luke Trevaskis (Morecambe Town Council), improve future meetings, focus on the network's goals, and boost LGBT+ visibility in the sector. Please complete the survey as soon as possible: https://tinyurl.com/2p9yf5bv
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC National Network: Young councillors
Our latest national network for young councillors meeting was on 31 August 2023. At the previous network meeting, the network discussed how to make it more effective, how to get young people involved in local politics by engaging with local schools, how to ensure young councillors are adequately supported throughout their time in office and supported the idea of a mentoring programme or induction pack for young councillors with tips and advice. Learn more about the network and how to get involved!
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC Design Code Pathfinder Showcase
We have teamed up with the Society of Local Council Clerks to hold a FREE online event about the Design Code Pathfinder Programme on 20 September 2023. You will hear from the government's new Office for Place to hear more about the programme and the work local authorities and neighbourhood planning group partners have undertaken to deliver more healthy, beautiful, and sustainable places. Design Codes have come to the fore, especially following the publication of the National Planning Policy Framework in 2021, highlighting their role by local planning authorities, developers and communities. This includes local councils, which many expect to be at the forefront of their development. The event is for councillors and clerks, and if you're a clerk, you will claim 1 CPD point for attending this webinar!
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Coronation Living Heritage Fund
On 22 August 2023, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched the Coronation Living Heritage Fund for applications. The fund will support local tree-planting projects across communities to celebrate the King's Coronation. Applications are welcome from district, borough, city, and county councils, unitary authorities, and metropolitan boroughs. Parish, community and town councils and community groups should apply through the above's tree officers or environmental team. The application window will be open until 26 September 2023. Councils can apply for an amount between £10,000 and £50,000 per option for one or both of the following options: Coronation Micro Woods (enabling councils to plant miniature areas of rapidly establishing woodland in urban areas) and Coronation Community Orchards (enabling councils to provide grants to local people and groups to establish community orchards).
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Sign up to LCC Town and Parish Council monthly update emails
Get the latest information for town and parish councils in Lincolnshire.
To sign up contact lcctownandparishnews@lincolnshire.gov.uk
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
LCC: Waste not, want not
Buying less and reducing what we throw away is better for the environment and saves you money. Taking simple actions can make a big difference These include making use of re-useable bags and mugs; buying pre-loved clothes and planning our meals so that we waste less food. More tips can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/4af662mr
For further details about what you can recycle locally, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/waste
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC launches consultation to update the Model Financial Regulations
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is working with The Parkinson Partnership LLP to update its 2019 Model Financial Regulations for England and Wales.
The model financial regulations are part of a support package that local (parish and town) councils receive through their NALC and county association membership. They are an essential tool for councils of all sizes, setting out the framework within which the council ensures responsible, sustainable and compliant management of its finances.
NALC is seeking views on the technical aspects of the regulations. The responses will inform the revision and content of these regulations. The consultation will not result in any changes to existing legislation.
NALC would like to know:
1. Is the description of budget preparation (Section 3) adequate, and if not, what changes should be made?
2. How should we improve the wording (Section 4) about expenditure monitoring?
3. What changes are needed to manage safe and satisfactory delegation of authority to staff (Section 5)?
4. Suggestions for amendments to improve control of online payments and banking (Sections 5 and 6)?
5. What revisions are needed to manage procurement (Sections 10,11 and 12) effectively?
6. What additional regulations may be necessary concerning financial risk management (Section 17)?
7. Which regulations create challenges for transparency or protecting personal and commercially sensitive data?
8. What, if anything, should be removed from the model regulations and why?
9. Which paragraphs, if any, are obsolete and need replacing?
10. Are there any other issues that should be covered within financial regulations?
To submit views, complete the form by 5 November 2023: https://tinyurl.com/3b3dsx9t
The existing version of the 2019 Model Financial Regulations for England and Wales can be found on the LALC website: https://www.lalc.co.uk/standing-orders-and-financial-regulations
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
NALC Briefing: PC2-23 LOCAL PLANS
Summary
Local plans are generally produced by local planning authorities (LPAs) but local (parish and town) councils have a huge interest in them and such plans are directly linked to neighbourhood plans which many local councils produce. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) have issued a consultation seeking views on proposals to implement the parts of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which relate to plan-making, to make plans simpler, faster to prepare and more accessible.
The main consultation document can be downloaded here. The consultation closes at DLUHC on 18 October 2023.
Context
The consultation seeks insight on:
• how local plans (and minerals and waste plans) can be made simpler to understand and use.
• how local plans (and minerals and waste plans) can be positively shaped by the views of communities about how their area should evolve
NALC will be responding to this consultation as many local councils will have an interest in feeding in their own views on how the local plan making process can be reasonably made more efficient without the government seeking to implement wildly unrealistic timeframes, also ensuring that the golden thread between timescales required to update and make local plans and those required to make and update neighbourhood plans, is retained undamaged.
NALC’s current policy positions
• The government has said it wants to see local planning authorities reviewing their local plans every five years. NALC will be arguing very strongly that this is an impractical requirement that places impossible pressures on LPAs and on neighbourhood planning groups whose plans are aligned to the local plans. A review every 10 years would be demanding enough. The emphasis should be on the quality and the soundness of the plans and not on the speed with which it might be possible to produce them.
• NALC will support a planning system which incorporates a significant role for local councils. It will not support any diminution of local councils’ statutory right to comment on planning issues at all stages of their evolution, whether they be development planning matters or spatial planning policies.
• NALC will support a soundly based planning system which represents the most reliable tool for the sustainable allocation of land, and which represents the three pillars of sustainability equally, i.e., social, economic, and environmental factors.
• NALC is arguing for the complete removal of the whole concept of National Development Management Policies (NDMPs) which will have the effect of unjustly trumping any local or neighbourhood plan.
Consultation Questions
The main consultation questions NALC will be responding to in this consultation are as below and NALC seeks the views of county associations and member councils in response to these questions to help inform its own submission to DLUHC:
Chapter 1: Plan content
• Question 1: Do you agree with the core principles for plan content? Do you think there are other principles that could be included?
• Question 2: Do you agree that plans should contain a vision, and with our proposed principles preparing the vision? Do you think there are other principles that could be included?
• Question 3: Do you agree with the proposed framework for local development management policies?
• Question 4: Would templates make it easier for local planning authorities to prepare local plans? Which parts of the local plan would benefit from consistency?
• Question 5: Do you think templates for new style minerals and waste plans would need to differ from local plans? If so, how?
Chapter 2: The new 30-month plan timeframe
• Question 6: Do you agree with the proposal to set out in policy that planning authorities should adopt their plan, at the latest, 30 months after the plan preparation process begins?
• Question 7: Do you agree that a Project Initiation Document will help define the scope of the plan and be a useful tool throughout the plan making process?
Chapter 3: Digital plans
• Question 8: What information produced during plan-making do you think would most benefit from data standardisation, and/or being openly published?
• Question 9: Do you recognise and agree that these are some of the challenges faced as part of plan preparation which could benefit from digitalisation? Are there any others you would like to add and tell us about?
• Question 10: Do you agree with the opportunities identified? Can you tell us about other examples of digital innovation or best practice that should also be considered?
• Question 11: What innovations or changes would you like to see prioritised to deliver efficiencies in how plans are prepared and used, both now and in the future?
Chapter 5: Evidence and the tests of soundness
• Question 14: Do you think this direction of travel for national policy and guidance set out in this chapter would provide more clarity on what evidence is expected? Are there other changes you would like to see?
• Question 15: Do you support the standardisation of evidence requirements for certain topics? What evidence topics do you think would be particularly important or beneficial to standardise and/or have more readily available baseline data?
• Question 16: Do you support the freezing of data or evidence at certain points of the process? If so which approach(es) do you favour?
Chapter 7: Plan examination
• Question 22: Do you agree with our proposals to speed up plan examinations? Are there additional changes that we should be considering to enable faster examinations?
• Question 23: Do you agree that six months is an adequate time for the pause period, and with the government’s expectations around how this would operate?
Chapter 8: Community engagement and consultation
• Question 24: Do you agree with our proposal that planning authorities should set out their overall approach to engagement as part of their Project Initiation Document? What should this contain?
• Question 25: Do you support our proposal to require planning authorities to notify relevant persons and/or bodies and invite participation, prior to commencement of the 30-month process?
• Question 26: Should early participation inform the Project Initiation Document? What sorts of approaches might help to facilitate positive early participation in plan-preparation?
• Question 27: Do you agree with our proposal to define more clearly what the role and purpose of the two mandatory consultation windows should be?
• Question 28: Do you agree with our proposal to use templates to guide the form in which representations are submitted?
Chapter 9: Requirement to assist with certain plan-making
• Question 29: Do you have any comments on the proposed list of prescribed public bodies?
• Question 30: Do you agree with the proposed approach? If not, please comment on whether the alternative approach or another approach is preferable and why.
Chapter 13: Community Land Auctions
• Question 39: Do you have any views on how we envisage the Community Land Auctions process would operate?
• Question 40: To what extent should financial considerations be taken into account by local planning authorities in Community Land Auction pilots, when deciding to allocate sites in the local plan, and how should this be balanced against other factors?
Chapter 14: Approach to roll out and transition
• Question 41: Which of these options should be implemented, and why? Are there any alternative options that we should be considering?
Chapter 15: Saving existing plans and planning documents
• Question 42: Do you agree with our proposals for saving existing plans and planning documents? If not, why?
Your evidence
Please email your responses to this consultation to chris.borg@nalc.gov.uk by 17.00 on 22 September 2023.
꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰꙰ ꙰꙰꙰
Don’t forget International Happiness at Work Week: 20 – 25 September
“Happiness at work is about meaningful work, healthy relationships, development, and having fun. And about stopping unnecessary rules, powerplay, complicated processes and procedures, absenteeism, unmotivated colleagues, and terrible managers.”
