Cheque payments - nearly there!

Draft Legislative Reform (Payments by Parish Councils, Community Councils and Charter Trustees) Order 2013

The Draft LRO will remove the statutory requirement in Section 150(5) Local Government Act 1972 that cheques and payment orders must be signed by two members of the parish council.

The LRO was laid before Parliament on 11th November 2013 and published on 12th December 2013 (HC 929). 

DCLG won’t action this until revised Financial Regulations and the new Practitioners Guide are ready and approved by the Joint Practitioners Advisory Group (JPAG). 

The anticipated date is mid February. Watch this space! BALC will inform member councils when we have concrete news.

Rural Energy Fund £15m available

A £15m government fund has opened for applications from rural communities who want to generate their own green power.

The Rural Community Energy Fund aims to help rural communities access the money needed to carry out feasibility studies into renewable energy projects. It also helps fund the costs associated with applying for planning permission. In doing so, the government intends that projects will then be able to attract private finance to pay for renewable energy kit and get projects up and running.

Rural energy projects eligible for funding including wind, solar, biomass, heat pumps, anaerobic digestion, gas Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and hydro. 

The fund is being delivered on behalf of the government by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Funding is offered in two stages:

• a grant up to £20,000 for feasibility studies into renewable energy projects in local areas
• once the studies have been completed, communities can then apply for a loan worth up to £130,000 to help with project costs, planning permission and environmental permits. The loan is repayable once projects have received the necessary private sector funding required to get them up and running.

£4m available to help save community assets

Greenham Control Tower BBC photo

Greenham Parish Council has won a grant of nearly £422,000 from the government's Community Assets and Services Fund to help buy the Control Tower and turn it into a visitor centre for users of Greenham Common.

Grants are available from the Social Investment Business group which is made up of the charity, Adventure Capital Fund, and its social enterprise, The Social Investment Business. They are one of the UK's largest social investors and have made over 1300 investments in civil society organisations ranging from under £5,000 to almost £7 million. 

More information here

Community Right to Build - HCA

Community groups or parish councils are invited to apply for a share of the £17.5m fund, which is being made available to provide seed corn funding to help groups to formally establish, progress their development proposals and submit a Community Right to Build Order.

The funding is available until the end of March 2015 or until the funding is fully committed. It is unlikely that applications made after October 2014 will be successful.

More information on the HCA website

Updated street party guidance from DCLG

Updated street parties guidance has been issued alongside a new 'Can do' guide on organising voluntary and community events. Both sets of guidance aim to dispel myths about what's required for community events, and help people to plan and run events with a minimum of red tape.

The street party guidance is here and the 'can do' guide for organisers of voluntary events is here.

Job advert - Wokingham Town Council RFO wanted

Wokingham Town Council are looking for a new Responsible Finance Officer

Do you have strong financial management experience and are you looking for a new challenge?

Wokingham Town Council could offer you an interesting post within a strong organisation.

Can you bring?

•    A relevant accounting qualification – AAT or CiPFA
•    Financial management experience
•    Strong interpersonal skills
•    Commitment to public service

On the retirement of our Responsible Finance Officer we are looking to appoint an individual to work with Councillors, the Town Clerk and staff to manage the budget and ensure that our existing excellent practice is maintained and developed further.

The post is offered from May 2014 at 30 hours per week and will be based at the Town Hall in Wokingham town centre.

Salary:  £27,323 - £28,127 pro rata, dependent on experience. Benefits include access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Closing date: Midday Monday 17th February 2014

For an informal discussion phone Mrs Jan Nowecki, Town Clerk on 0118 978 3185

Candidate information is available on the Council’s website www.wokingham-tc.gov.uk. Applications to be made online.

What next for Localism? NALC Conference March 2014

What next for Localism? - Wednesday 26 March 2014


NALC’s ground breaking and forward thinking conference has been moved to Wednesday 26th March 2014 at the Royal National Hotel, London.

But what hasn’t changed is local government at all levels and public services are facing unprecedented challenges to their funding and services.

And with a General Election rapidly approaching in 2015, this timely one day conference explores the fundamental question of what next for localism? And in particular, where next for parish and town councils?

Hear from the three main political parties, members of Parliament, think tanks, academics, local government bodies and councils themselves about what the future might look like, especially for parish and town councils.

As well as providing an important space for you to network, share experiences and good practice, our event will also provide a rare chance for you to debate and influence the future localism landscape.

Do not miss out on this exciting event -  Book now!

This event is being sponsored by:

Aon UK Ltd, Blachere Illumination UK, The Public Sector Deposit Fund

Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency

The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency  was published in September 2011. The Code was issued under sec. 2 Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 and sets out the key principles for local authorities in creating greater transparency through the publication of public data.

The government believes that in principle all data held and managed by local authorities should be made available to local people unless there are specific reasons not to such as protecting vulnerable people or commercial and operational considerations. It encourages local authorities to see data as a valuable resource not only to themselves, but also their partners and local people, and hopes they will go further in publishing the data they hold than the minimum standards set out in this document.

When the Code was published, ministers committed to reviewing its content and scope within 18 months. DCLG ran a consultation on updating the Code, and the possibility of making it mandatory through regulations.

The consultation summary is here. There were 58 responses from town and parish councils.

The results of the consultation are that the Code will only be mandatory for principal councils not parish councils and that councils with annual income or expenditure over £200,000 are 'recommended' to comply with a lighter touch code. Councils with a turnover of less than £25,000 will be exempt from audit but required to comply with the lighter touch code.

The Government intend, in due course, to consult on the new light touch transparency requirements for smaller authorities.

West Berkshire Council Building Stronger Communities Conference 2014

• Building Stronger Communities Conference 2014
  Saturday 5th April 2014
  at
  Newbury College Monks Lane, Newbury, RG14 7TD.
  10am – 3pm 
  (Refreshments from 9.30am)
   
  This conference is FREE and is open to the public, Parish Planning Groups, the voluntary sector, Parish Councils and all those involved in the West Berkshire Partnership.
   
  Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided.
• Emergency Planning Advice  for Communities
• Community Rights and the process of listing a community asset
• Delivering your Parish Plan Projects  
• Fundraising in the Current Era
• Neighbourhood Development Plans vs. Parish Plans
• Prevention of Trading Related Crimes
• Refresh your Parish Plan
• Social Media use in Parish Planning
• Networking with other Parish Planners 
• Elderly support through Befriending Schemes

More information and booking forms on the CCB website

Have your say on our ambitious plan for growth in the Thames Valley Berkshire sub region

Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has submitted its draft Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) to government.

SEPs are multi-year plans through which 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships will compete with each other, whilst combining to drive economic growth nationally. 

The draft Thames Valley Berkshire SEP establishes an overarching priority to secure better access to talented people and bright ideas, and to use both more effectively. It asserts that this can be achieved by improving the skills of the current and future workforce; retaining the businesses in Thames Valley Berkshire and growing new ones through the best ‘soft’ infrastructure in the UK; while securing more investment in the ‘hard’ infrastructure that is so critical for an economy second only in output to the whole of London.

The draft plan will:
1. Inspire the next generation and build aspirations and ambition
2. Ensure that economic potential is not restricted by labour supply issues
3. Ensure that knowledge is effectively commercialised and grown within Thames Valley Berkshire
4. Make Thames Valley Berkshire’s towns genuine hubs in the ideas economy

Thames Valley Berkshire’s draft plan drives other funding streams bids, such as the EU Structural and Investment Funds, Growing Places Fund, future rounds of the Regional Growth Fund and the Thames Valley Berkshire City Deal.

The Thames Valley Berkshire SEP is underpinned by evidence commissioned from Cambridge Econometrics and has been developed after extensive consultation that is continuing into 2014; to date over 50 stakeholder meetings have been held to get the Plan to its current, advanced state.

The LEP will submit its final Strategic Economic Plan in March 2014 with a Local Growth Deal announced in July 2014 and investment to begin in April 2015. 

To view the Plan and then take part in a survey, please visit

The deadline for feedback is Friday 7 February 2014.

Quality Council Scheme Review - update from NALC Chairman

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing in my capacity as Chairman of the National Stakeholders to the Quality Council Scheme [1].

At our recent meeting the stakeholders discussed feedback from county associations (staff and members) and county accreditation panel members on the proposals for a revised quality scheme. I therefore wanted to let you know how we will be taking your feedback into account and how this will affect the timetable for the review and launch of the new scheme.

Overall, the responses confirmed that there is an appetite for a sector-led scheme in most counties and that a majority of respondents were enthused by the idea of making bold changes to the way the scheme looks and is managed.

Many responses presented new ideas for tackling some of the issues raised by the consultation or highlighted concerns about the effects of specific proposals and presented alternative suggestions. The stakeholders therefore agreed that the original timetable, which proposed a launch in autumn 2013, should be extended to allow more time to address and draw on this feedback with the aim of strengthening proposals for a scheme which is accessible to a greater number of councils.

The stakeholders also recognise that, following the agreement of proposals to establish a new Improvement & Development Board (IDB) which will oversee sector improvement including the new quality scheme, the role of the stakeholder group as it is currently formed is coming to an end. They have therefore agreed that the final draft of proposals for the new scheme should be considered by the IDB, which is due to hold its first meeting on 15th January 2014. This will mean that the new scheme will benefit from the improved and strengthened mechanisms for consultation which are built into the way the IDB will operate.

As Tamsin Hewett, NALC Improvement & Development Manager, will be leaving us at Christmas there will be some delay in producing a final draft of proposals for a new scheme. I would like to reassure you, however, that I am looking into alternative arrangements for producing revised proposals and we are still hoping to share the details of the new scheme with the sector in early 2014, with briefings for county associations and accreditation panels taking place before a formal launch in advance of the 2014 elections. We will be publicising a more detailed timetable in due course.

Thank you again to all of you who have contributed to the review of the scheme at any stage: I have no doubt that the time and thought that has gone into your contributions will be vital in helping us to shape a dynamic and successful new scheme which will raise the profile, credibility and quality of our councils.


With kind regards

Councillor Ken Browse

Chairman of the National Stakeholders to the Quality Council Scheme

Chairman, NALC


[1] The national stakeholders are: the National Association of Local Councils, the Society of Local Council Clerks, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Local Government Association.

Job advert - new CEO for NALC

Following the resignation of John Findlay, NALC are advertising for a new CEO.

The CEO is expected to have gained senior management experience leading a member organisation of similar comparable complexity. 
The post holder will be responsible to the Chairman and Council and will provide leadership to NALC in a changing political environment, delivering value for money in terms of service.

The requires are that he/she will

• Manage the Association on a day to day basis and ensure the effectiveness of the Association in meeting the Council’s objectives in a changing political background;
• Promote and represent the Association and local council sector with government and other stakeholders in the community and nationally;
• Manage service delivery and ensure the provision of clear, regular, effective and timely communication with the National Council, County Associations of Local Councils and member councils (CALC’s) ;

In particular the CEO will:

• Work closely with CALCs in delivering quality and timely service deliver to Local Councils
• Ensure the continued growth and development of the sector and its standing and profile in the national political environment;
• Deliver an increase in business related activity to boost income and maximise the commercial potential of the Association;
• Working with National Council to develop strategies which will result in tangible improvements to the sector and ensure their delivery;
• Provide the leadership needed by the Council to manage the organisation and develop a culture which supports the values of the sector in all aspects of its business;
• Be an ambassador for the Association with national, regional and local bodies; be knowledgeable and aware of local issues, and recognise the sector’s role in the local community;

Enquiries about the role should be directed to, Caroline Green at nalcceo@the100company.com or telephone her on 0121 647 1100.