NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LOCAL COUNCILS (NALC)
Problems with neighbourhood planning
NALC is gathering examples where neighbourhood plans had been ignored by planning authorities or decisions taken contrary to policies set out in the plan, to pass on to the Department of Local Government. Please send information to
Petition about communities having the right to build
NALC have informed us of an online petition about giving communities back the right to decide where houses are built. The petition is on the UK Government and Parliament website and calls for a parliamentary debate on government housing and planning policy over building on greenfield land and seeks community right of appeal on planning decisions and the removal of the presumption in favour of sustainable development to protect established communities across the UK and deliver the right housing in the right places. The petition closes on 12 July and has attracted 11,500 signatures so far.
Section 137 expenditure limit for 2017/18
The Department of Communities and Local Government has confirmed the appropriate sum for the purpose of section 137(4)(a) of the Local Government Act 1972 for parish and town councils in England for 2017/18 is £7.57.
New Diversity Commission
NALC has started a new project over the next year or so to undertake an assessment of the diversity of people who are local councillors in relation to their age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic background as well as the diversity of representatives of county associations involved in the governance of county associations and NALC, making recommendations for action and change needed in order to address these findings. A range of people are helping including representatives from the Fawcett Society, the Local Government Association and Queen’s Park Community Council. In the coming weeks and months the Commission will be conducting research and seeking information and taking evidence from councillors, councils and county associations
Royal Garden Parties
As usual, County Associations have sent nominations for invitations to this year’s Royal Garden Parties through NALC’s allocation; 224 names have been submitted to the Palace and invitees will hear direct from the Palace approximately 6 weeks in advance of the garden party.
New legal guidance
NALC is constantly updating its legal topic notes which can be accessed through the members area of the DAPTC website http://www.dorset-aptc.gov.uk/DAPTC-Web/Default-7167.aspx
The following have been updated recently:
LTN 35 on contracts has been modified in the light of the implementation late last year of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which separates consumer terms where one party is not acting as a business from the previous law which still applies where both parties are acting as businesses – a local council is always acting as a business;
LTN 68 on negligence has been revised for format and clarity, some minor typographical errors have also been amended; in both cases the law is the same in England and in Wales.
LTNs 36 and 42 have been revised to fully take account of the legal changes resulting from the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in terms of what a local council can do to limit liability under contract and to visitors/trespassers; the opportunity has been taken to restructure the contents of the LTNsto maximise clarity.The law on these matters is the same in both England and Wales.
LTN 5 (Parish and Community Council Meetings) and LTN 80 (Members’ conduct and the registration and disclosure of their interests (England)) have been revised to add information about the restriction on voting on matters relating to the precept which applies to a councillor who is in arrears of payment of council tax together with the associated criminal offence of not disclosing the arrears at a relevant meeting.
LTN 31 – Section 137 of the Local Government Action 1972 has been updated to reflect the change to the relevant amount for calculating s.137 expenditure for 2017/18.
Grants for War Memorials – War Memorials Trust
War Memorials Trust administers a number of grants schemes which between them cover the whole of the UK. Currently programme funders include the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Historic England, Historic Scotland and War Memorials Trust. Grants are currently available up to 75% of eligible
costs with a normal maximum grant of £30,000. The War Memorials Trust seeks to help all war memorial custodians, whatever the nature and size of their war memorial by facilitating repair and conservation.
Local council award scheme
One of the ways in which the sector can demonstrate effectiveness and compliance with the new transparency agenda is through the Local Council Award Scheme. This scheme will also provide reassurance to principal councils and the Government that the sector is well run – helping us continue to oppose the extension of referenda principles, winning the support of principal councils for the creation of new parishes and continuing to build the sector’s reputation and credibility.
Details are on the DAPTC website at http://www.dorset-aptc.gov.uk/DAPTC-Web/local_council_award_scheme-7156.aspx
More media coverage on precepts
BBC coverage of increases to parish precepts as a result of taking on more responsibilities can be seen on BBC Sunday Politics North East and Cumbria (55.32 – 1.03.29) which includes an interview with NALC’s Chief Executive plus Sunday Politics South (51.59 – 1.00.48).
Budget 2017
NALC has published a statement highlighting reductions in central government funding to principal councils that will see parish and town councils doing more, leading to increases in their small share of council tax as well as setting out some of our fairer funding objectives.
Additional Dorset representation at NALC
NALC recently invited members of National Council to put themselves forward for the vacant seat on the Larger Councils Committee arising from elections to committees at the annual meeting of National Council in December. Cllr Lindsey Dedden, the Dorset county association representative on National Council, has now joined the Committee.
DAPTC Chairman John Parker has been re-elected vice chairman of the NALC Smaller Councils Committee. This Committee will continue to represent the interests of councils with a population under 6000, with its work programme focussing on rural issues, building capacity and ensuring NALC's services met the councils, with a particular emphasis on encouraging councils to meet transparency requirements
LCR Magazine Spring 2017
The new Spring edition of the NALC magazine LCR will be issuedfrom 25 March and includes anexclusive interview with the local government minister, Marcus Jones MP. By way of a sneak preview during the interview he offered to work with NALC and the sector over our longstanding business rates, restated his challenge over precept increases and encourages councils to be open, transparent and engage with residents especially over budget and precept setting, and encourages principal councils to consider onward devolution to local councils and support the creation of new parishes. Other features and articles include going digital, NALC’s new Devo toolkits, top tips on audit and more brilliant case study examples from the winner of Star Councils Awards 2016. If your council is missing out by not currently subscribing to LCR, please contact the DAPTC office by emailing
I hope this update on some of the work that the national association has carried out on behalf of its members is useful to you.
Hilary Trevorah
14 March 2017
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