LALC eNews 6th March 2026

This fortnightly newsletter is distributed to all our member councils. It can also be found on the LALC website under News (LALC News). Other important information which comes up in between eNews publication dates is also shared on the website under News (Our Blog).

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If any Clerks want to join the Clerks’ eGroup, or any councillors want to join the Councillor eGroup, please contact enquiries@lalc.co.uk.

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Training courses available via LALC

Our Training Bulletin is distributed monthly to all our member councils, and courses are available to book via the portal (login required). 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. Download the latest Training Bulletin.

Please ensure that the email address for your delegate is correct, otherwise they will not receive the booking confirmation or any joining instructions. If you have set up your councillors on the LALC portal, you will be able to select their correct email address from a drop-down list when booking the training.

Many councils are currently moving to a gov.uk (or org.uk) email address. If you already have training places booked, please let us know so that we can update the booking with the new email to ensure automatic reminders are correctly received.

If one of your councillors (or staff members) resigns, and they were booked on LALC training, please cancel their place, so that others can book on. Failure to do so may not only deprive other councils from attending but could result in a non-attendance charge (see below).

Please note our training cancellation policy:

For part day courses – please ensure we receive cancellations at least 48 hours in advance

For full day events – please ensure we receive cancellations at least 5 working days in advance, as we need to pre-order and pay for lunches

Due to persistent non-attendance at booked events, it is unfortunate that LALC have had to amend the way we impose our cancellation fees. All members are charged 50% of the training cost when insufficient notice is received (as above) for non-attendance at training events. No shows will be charged at 100% of the course fee. All charges are regardless of whether the council is a member of the ATS or not.

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Free Worknest webinar: Probation Periods - preparing for six-month unfair dismissal protection

Source: Worknest

Probation periods are often misunderstood — and that’s where many employers get caught out.

Used properly, probation isn’t a tick-box exercise. It’s your defined window to test performance, address concerns early, and make confident decisions before full employment rights take effect. This window is about to shrink. With the qualifying period reducing to six months, the margin for error will be far smaller and the risk of getting it wrong much greater.

Join WorkNest on 12 March at 2.00 pm for this free 60-minute webinar to make sure your probation processes are strong, compliant, and ready before the law changes.

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Latest News

NALC news (NALC login may be required)

SLCC news (No SLCC login required)

LCC Town and Parish Council update

Clear Councils newsletter

Highways News

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Pay Awards - How the National Joint Council Works

Source: SLCC

The annual local government pay award determines pay increases and other employment terms for local government staff across the UK. This guide explains the stages of the NJC process, from the unions’ application to the final pay implementation.

How the NJC negotiates pay awards

The annual pay award is negotiated between the national employers, which is made up of representatives of local authorities across the country and the representatives of the three trade unions involved, UNISON, Unite and the GMB.

Submitting the unions’ claim

The three unions have usually combined and put in one joint application for a pay increase and enhancements to terms and conditions, such as an increase in annual leave, rather than submitting three individual claims.

When do NJC pay negotiations take place?

The unions’ submission is usually with employers by the end of January so that discussions can, in theory, conclude before the 1 April anniversary date. In some years the process begins earlier, for example, this year the claim was submitted in December, with employers aiming to respond by 29 January.

Employers’ consideration and response

The national employers then take the claim away for consideration with local authorities over a period of time, typically a month to six weeks, then return to the table with the response. A multi-year deal is considered and put to the national employers, or one is made in the offer to the unions.

Consultation with union members

The unions then consult with their members via a series of meetings with branches, representatives and members and when this is complete respond to the employers.

What happens if agreement isn’t reached

Sometimes the offer made by the employers is a final one, i.e. they are unwilling to offer any more.

The response from the unions can be either to accept that or have the employers change their minds by taking industrial action, or action short of a strike such as an overtime ban. To gauge interest and to test out members’ appetite for either, there is an ‘indicative ballot’ first. If there is support, a formal industrial action ballot follows.

Implementing the pay award

Once the above have been completed and the acceptance is indicated the employers send out the details of the pay agreement together with the revised pay that applies for each spinal point. All local authorities are recommended to apply the increased pay rates from the agreed anniversary date.

NALC and SLCC agree the rates of pay and then details of the increase are circulated to members together with the pay rates.

Please note that LALC will inform its members once the pay award has been agreed, and the new rates will be published on the LALC website.

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Action with Communities in Rural England: Helping rural communities prepare for flooding

Source: NALC

Flooding is one of the biggest challenges facing rural communities today. When rivers burst their banks or heavy rain overwhelms drainage systems, it’s often parish and town councils that step in first, supporting residents, coordinating emergency responses, and planning for recovery. But how can parish councils become more resilient and better prepared for the future?

Last year, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) joined a meeting of the Environment Agency’s Rural Flooding Resilience Partnership (RFRP) to tackle this very question. One key outcome was a commitment to help councils consider flood resilience when working with their communities, including when writing Neighbourhood Development Plans.

To ensure support is practical and relevant, NALC partnered with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) to gather direct input from parish and town councils. Together, we launched a survey in July 2025 to ask parish councils about a range of issues related to flooding, including their experiences with flooding, the steps they have taken to reduce risk, the partnerships they rely on, and the support they need to strengthen resilience.

More than three-quarters of respondents reported that their area had experienced flooding at some point, underscoring the widespread nature of the issue across rural communities. Nearly half of councils have already identified flood risk as a priority in their local plans, indicating growing awareness and commitment to resilience planning.

Read more about the initial survey findings (NALC login required).

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SLCC launch Smart Search in their Advice Library

Source: SLCC

We are delighted to announce the launch of Smart Search, a new feature within the Advice Library designed to help members find relevant guidance more quickly and efficiently.

Our comprehensive Advice Library contains hundreds of advice notes, guidance notes and model documents. While this breadth of information is one of its strengths, locating the specific detail needed can take valuable time, particularly for busy clerks and council officers. To address this, we have developed Smart Search.

This new facility for our advice library uses the power of AI to allow you to quickly access the information you need from the SLCC advice library, putting the answers you need at your fingertips. Each search gives you a summary of key points appropriate to your query, alongside direct links to the advice and guidance that you need.

The feature is now live within the Advice Library and available to all members with access to the library.

As this is a new development, we are keen to understand how it performs in practice. If you have used Smart Search, we would welcome your feedback via the form below the Smart Search box. Your comments will help us refine and strengthen the service over time.

Try Smart Search now at www.slcc.co.uk/advice (SLCC login required).

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NALC invites parish and town councillors to shape the future of the 21st-century councillor

Source: NALC

We are calling on parish and town councillors across England to take part in a major national event examining what it means to be a 21st-century councillor and to help shape the future support, strategies and resources the sector needs.

As the national voice of parish and town councils, we recognise that the role of councillors is changing. Local government continues to evolve, with shifting responsibilities, increasing service pressures and rising community expectations. Parish and town councillors are at the forefront of responding to these changes, often stepping in to protect valued local services and strengthen community resilience.

This interactive event will provide councillors with the latest updates from the 21st-century councillor research and create space for them to influence the development of new sector strategies directly. Their insights will inform a forthcoming report exploring how the role is evolving and identifying what practical and structural support is required to ensure councillors can continue to lead effectively at the grassroots level.

Attendees will hear practical examples of how councillors are making a tangible difference in today's challenging climate. The event will offer opportunities to share experiences, discuss common challenges and exchange ideas with peers from across the country.

We encourage all parish and town councillors to take part in this important conversation and to help define what effective, resilient and community-focused local leadership looks like in the years ahead.

The FREE event on 30th March (11:00 – 13:00) will be delivered by the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham and is held in partnership with the Association of Democratic Services Officers and the Society of Local Council Clerks.

Find our more and to book.

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HSE campaign - Mental health now a core HSE priority

Source: Worknest

Mental health risks must be assessed, recorded, and proactively managed, just like any physical hazard. With rising numbers of stress-related cases, the HSE is paying closer attention to how organisations protect employee wellbeing, including through its Working Minds campaign. Businesses without a clear mental health risk assessment – or who fail to act on known issues like workload or culture – risk not only poor wellbeing outcomes but potential regulatory scrutiny and enforcement.

HSE guidance - Stress and mental health at work

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How Councils Can Adapt as the April 2026 National Living Wage Rises Above SCP2 Pay Point

Source: SLCC

Local councils across England and Wales need to prepare to ensure compliance as the National Living Wage (NLW) is set to rise to £12.71 per hour from 1 April 2026, a 4.1% uplift accepted in full by the UK Government following recommendations from the Low Pay Commission.

The increase means the statutory minimum for workers aged 21 and over will exceed the current NJC Green Book SCP2 rate of £12.65 per hour, which in turn means that councils are unable to lawfully continue paying at this spinal column point from April, without some remedial action being taken. Although the National Joint Council (NJC) employers are considering the trade unions’ 2026/27 pay claim, no settlement is expected before the end of March, meaning all local government will hit the legal deadline for compliance with the NLW before any national award is agreed or backdated.

Legal Requirement to Pay at or Above the NLW

Failure to pay the statutory minimum wage constitutes an offence under UK employment law and can trigger enforcement action by HMRC. The NLW increase to £12.71 applies universally to all workers aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026, regardless of sector.

Because NJC pay awards are commonly agreed later in the year and backdated to April, councils risk a period of non‑compliance at the start of the financial year unless they take interim steps to raise actual pay for those staff paid at SCP2.