Jonathan OwenChief Executive5 November 2014

IMPROVING LOCAL COMMUNITIES

TOGETHER!

First Six Months at NALC• My background• Out and about• Listening and Learning• First impressions: diverse, committed,

passionate• First impressions: up for the challenge,

enthusiastic to deliver• Great opportunity

About NALC

Strengths• Influential – role on

Government’s Partnership Board

• Committed councillors, eager for change

• Quality services• Small HQ - £1m (70%

affiliation fees, 30% income) 14 Staff.

• Great partners in CALCs

Improvements• Communications• Are we providing the right

services?• Engaging councillors and

CALCs in policy making and lobbying

• Customer focus• Develop partnerships

including CALCS & Society of Local Council Clerks

A New Future: NALC’s strategic plan

Three clear priorities• To deliver quality services to member councils

and county associations• To create new councils and grow membership• To promote and represent the sector

effectively.

Value for money servicesBuild on what we have

• 100 + legal topic notes• 700 Legal queries dealt with • High quality publications: Local

Councils Explained, Audit Practitioners Guide

• 60+ press releases a year, twitter reach of 200,000

• 22 Consultations responded to last year

• 100 Ministerial and other meetings

• Excellent conferences too

Improvements• Review our services to

ensure meeting new needs• Promote improvement and

development• Consider new ones• Procurement/Employment/

planning/ ICT advice?• Larger towns offer• Audit- sector led body• New website – digital first

New councils- a growing sector

2014• 131 campaigns underway• Nearly all CALCs receiving

funding for outreach work• First Create a Council

week held• 5 new councils created in

last few months, including London’s first for many years

Next steps• Deliver 2015 programme• Focus on getting

campaigners to petitioners

• Persuade Governments to continue campaign

• Membership pack and benefits for existing councils and target non-members

5 New Councils

5 Petitioning

27 Campaigning

94Considering

1. Queen’s Park2. Chadwick End3. Badgers Mount4. Penrith5. Whitehaven

131 Communities, ½ m people

Priority 3 – A Strong National Voice

Lobbying successes• All parties committed to

localism• Finance: referenda principles,

council tax support scheme – but more to do

• Cheque reform• Electronic agenda• National media coverage (see

next slides)• Need your help

Next steps• Focussed manifesto with

clear objectives • Increase understanding esp

around finance• Extend influence across

Government, with parties and think tanks

• Build sector’s reputation• Campaigning together –

local, regional and national advocacy

Communications! Communications! Communications!

• Need to raise understanding of sector, what it does, how it is changing and its potential to support devolution

• Engage media more in all our work• Publicise examples of good work and achievements by

local councils• Use new media to engage with different people and

encourage councils to do so too• Get our stories across effectively at all levels – local

regional and national• We need your help!

Love your parish councilSunday Times, 27 April 2014

James Butcher, Age 21, Chairman, Lancing Parish Council

Challenges ahead

• Delivery – Localism, devolution, services • 2015 council elections and supporting new

councillors• 2015 national elections and ensuring role, profile

and influence of local councils enhanced• Building capacity and skills – local council award

scheme• Working together / clustering to improve local

communities.

Issues raised by other CALCs• Funding: New powers/devolution

achievable without fair funding? • Share of business rates• Community rights – useful or

not?• Neighbourhood planning : too

bureaucratic?• Community Infrastructure Levy

not working?• Slow community governance

reviews? • Relations with principal

authorities and LGA

• Councils’ role as employers• Parishes need to modernise• Encourage new people to get

involved• Relaxation of permitted

development rights• Encourage councils to use new

media• Twin tracking?• Support for smaller councils• Code of Conduct• Dementia – esp. in rural areas• Planning/Planning/Planning!

New Opportunities too

• The Scotland result and the English Question• New constitutional settlement for the UK?• Greater devolution to cities and regions?• Parish and Town Councils (and community

councils in Wales and Scotland) must be included too.

• NALC manifesto: Stronger Local Democracy• NALC manifesto: Fairer funding• NALC manifesto: More powers

Berkshire’s views?

• What are the issues facing councils and Berkshire ALC?

• What should we pressing Government on?• What would you like to see NALC doing

differently?• Above all a big thank you! For listening today

and for contributing to and influencing NALC’s work.

• Together we can achieve even more!