Documents
Police & Crime Commissioner Letter to Councils
This is an update from the PCC and includes an offer for the office of the PCC to attend parish meetings.
Tue, 24 May 2022
Sustainable energy and EV charging
NALC has published a new Legal Topic Note (LTN) on sustainable energy and electric vehicle charging. An area that is causing much interest to local (parish and town) councils. The LTN gives a broad overview and sets out the position for local councils and their powers in respect of generating or selling electricity, providing EV charging points on council premises including car parks and selling electricity back to the national grid.
Tue, 03 May 2022
Standing Orders - model July 2018 (revised 2022)
The most recent version of model standing orders with minor amendments to section 18.
Mon, 02 May 2022
Members' conduct; registration and disclosure of interests - LTN80
Implications of the Localism Act 2011.
Sun, 01 May 2022
Procurement - LTN 87
A guide to the requirements for councils' procurement practices depending on the value of the contract. This is an updated LTN which contains the current procurement threshold figures.
Mon, 04 Apr 2022
Smaller Councils Committee
If your council has an electorate of under 6,000 this committee is for you. The national association has formed it specifically so that smaller councils can let them know what issues you would like them to address and what services you would like them to offer.
Mon, 28 Mar 2022
Code of Practice on Publicity Pre-Elections
L01-22
CODE OF RECOMMENDED PRACTICE ON LOCAL AUTHORITY PUBLICITY (ENGLAND) / PUBLICITY DURING THE PRE-ELECTION PERIOD
A code of recommended practice on local authority publicity ('the Code') was issued on 31 March 2011. By virtue of s.6 of the Local Government Act 1986, the Code applies to parish councils. It is recommended that parish councils follow the Code.
Mon, 21 Mar 2022
NALC announcement on Ukraine
What can local councils do to support the cause and show solidarity? This is the first announcement from the National Association and GAPTC will follow it up shortly with some useful signposting.
Mon, 21 Mar 2022
Basic Charity Law LTN28
Principal roles played by local councils in the trusteeship of charities whether it be as sole trustee, joint trustee or custodian trustee. It also covers conflicts of interest and your council's Code of Conduct.
Mon, 21 Mar 2022
Ukraine - NALC briefing
NALC have provided a briefing on action that local councils can take in relation to the crisis in the Ukraine/
Thu, 17 Mar 2022
Working from Home Payments
Advice for clerks who work for two or more councils: both/all councils must be satisfied that their payment does no more than reimburse the additional costs involved in working from home. For example, if a clerk worked for 3 councils for 2 hours a week each, receiving £81 a month (3 x £27) is likely to be more than is necessary to cover the extra costs involved.
Wed, 16 Mar 2022
Living with Covid-19 in Gloucestershire
Living with COVID-19 in Gloucestershire
Almost two years to the day from the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Gloucestershire, the UK government has announced its intention to move to a situation where we are "living safely with COVID", and remaining measures to control the spread of the virus have, or will shortly, be removed.
Our updated plan sets out our local strategy to live safely with COVID-19 in Gloucestershire; it replaces Gloucestershire's Local Outbreak Management Plan and sets the direction for how we will continue to prevent, contain, respond and monitor COVID-19 in a different way, and outlines how we will be able to step back up our surge requirements if necessary.
As we make this transition, we need to keep a focus on the underlying poor health exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic; we will need to continue to ensure our resources are invested in improving public health and reducing inequalities to make sure that all of our population are equally prepared to deal with any future resurgence of COVID-19 and ensure more equal outcomes for our whole population.
Wed, 09 Mar 2022
Pay Award & New Salary Scales
A briefing on the pay award and the new salary scales
Tue, 08 Mar 2022
Year End Checklist for Councils
Get ready for AGAR 2022
https://www.nalc.gov.uk/nalc-blog/entry/1991-get-ready-for-agar-2022
Tue, 08 Mar 2022
Banking (FATCA and CRS)
This note will assist councils in completing certain forms for their bank:
FATCA and CRS banking forms
Wed, 16 Feb 2022
Making Tax Digital – Update
This note updates the advice for all VAT-registered councils. Councils that are not VAT-registered, who reclaim VAT using form VAT126, are not affected by Making Tax Digital. There are no changes for those councils.
Wed, 16 Feb 2022
Procurement Thresholds
The thresholds for public procurement have changed since January 2022. This is an explanatory document provided by our partners, Parkinson Partnership, who offer training on budgeting, precept setting, VAT and other council financial matters.
Wed, 16 Feb 2022
Policing Your Area LTN13
NALC has updated Legal Topic Note (LTN) 13 on policing your area which considers the powers and duties of local councils in relation to crime in their area together with guidance on approaches and systems that can be used. New information has been added about the use of vehicular activated speed signs and automated number plate recognition.
Mon, 14 Feb 2022
Cotswold Energy Saving Exhibition
COTSWOLD ENERGY SAVING EXHIBTION WITH SPEAKERS
PLANNING FOR A GREENER FUTURE WITHOUT OIL AND GAS
Find out more at a free community event on:
THURSDAY 24TH MARCH 2022
WESTWOODS CENTRE, NORTHLEACH
3PM - 8.30PM (FREE ENTRY)
Get advice from companies specialising in the latest technology to help you save energy, save on bills and reduce your carbon footprint.
Ground and air source heat pumps Solar PV and battery storage MVHE ventilation systems
Toyota electric cars Cotswold District Council Severn Wye Energy Agency Talks from
Christopher Crookall-Fallon - Head of Climate Action, Cotswold District Council
Meeting the decarbonisation challenge for Cotswold properties 6.30pm
Paul Sheridan - Senior Domestic Energy Advisor, Severn Wye Energy Agency Greening Buildings – An Introduction to energy saving in homes 7.30pm
Mon, 14 Feb 2022
CiLCA 2022 Learning Agreement
This is the Learning Agreement which needs to be completed for the next round of CiLCA training and mentoring which starts in April 2022.
(See training section on website for details and booking form)
CiLCA – The Qualification for you
The Certificate in Local Council Administration is a distance learning course verified by the Monitoring and Verification Board which is directly applicable to "the day job".
On registering for CiLCA, the candidate has one year to complete the portfolio of evidence for submission.
WHY CiLCA?
We feel that the time and commitment you put into offering support and help to your council needs to be recognised and the CiLCA qualification does just this! Expect to put in on average about 50 hours of work and one of the rewards is another notch on the salary scale, providing your council has signed up to the National Agreement. CiLCA also offers an opportunity to ensure you have the basic knowledge to carry out a professional job. CiLCA is the recognised qualification in our sector as a sign of achievement and is required in most job applications. Consider your future aspirations.
CONSIDER
So think about your future, think about your current knowledge, think about your council. This is your next step to professionalism. CiLCA is also a requirement of your council to have a qualified Clerk in adopting the General Power of Competence and obtaining the Local Council Award Scheme. Ask GAPTC for more details.
Now is the time to explore this.
Tue, 01 Feb 2022
New Councillor Induction Pack
Joining a council can be daunting. GAPTC recommends clerks use this document as a checklist and provide all new councillors with the information contained in it. Please let us know if you think there is anything we can add. We also recommend councils assign a 'buddy', a long-standing, active member of the council, to support all new councillors.
Mon, 31 Jan 2022
Clerks' Handover Toolkit
When your clerk retires or resigns it is good practice to ensure a smooth handover period. This toolkit lists what every new clerk will need to know before the former clerk leaves. We suggest a handover period in which this can be achieved. It may be a good idea to name who is responsible for handing over each item listed and noting a completion date.
Fri, 28 Jan 2022
Powers of Local Councils LTN31
A Legal Topic Note on the general powers of local councils including S137 and the General Power of Competence.
Section 22 clarifies that eligibility to hold the General Power of Competence remains in place until the next annual meeting in an ordinary election year, even if the eligibility conditions are no longer met, ie qualified Clerk or two thirds of Councillors elected
Mon, 01 Nov 2021
Closed Churchyards and Disused Burial Grounds LTN65
Definition: process for closing: responsibility: maintenance.
This LTN covers the legislation concerning closed churchyards and disused burial grounds including the definition, the process for closing, responsibility for maintenance of a closed churchyard.
The LGA1894 Act prohibits local councils from spending on property relating to affairs of the church or held for an ecclesiastical charity.
Mon, 01 Nov 2021
Council Meetings LTN05
This deals with the law and procedure relating to meetings of local councils, their committees and sub committees.
Updated in 2021 to apply to England only
Mon, 01 Nov 2021
Website Accessibility Guidance from NALC
A guide published specifically for our sector to assist you in meeting the requirements of the regulations, updated in 2021 by NALC
Thu, 21 Oct 2021
Internal Audit Service - Model letter of appointment for GAPTC
Model letter to be used by parish/town council to ask GAPTC to appoint an Internal Auditor
Wed, 22 Sep 2021