Rural Transport provision, National Network of Super Councils, Website Compliance, BMKALC Conference Sold Out! Conference Workshops Open for Booking!
Dear Colleagues
The view from all our windows this week will have been very blustery indeed, and, nothing at all to do with new elected representatives up and down the country, proclaiming how they have the insight and skills to make things better.
We enjoyed our first Super Saturday session with new councillors last week and it was a pleasure to meet them all, sharing both details about local councils whilst learning about their ambitions and hopes. We have another session this coming Saturday which I’m looking forward to. I want to acknowledge the extra support of our BC security team who reorganised the room space for us at short notice and the Clerks from Watermead and Kingsbrook Parish Councils who were on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly.
I’ve enjoyed some time off this week the world of local government cracked on without me. We noted from the NALC update that there is some intensive lobbying with Government on Rural Transport provision, a push for our very large councils to sign up to the national network of super councils. NALC also met with Room 151 to explore how ongoing local government reorganisation and devolution in England may empower parish and town councils to become more influential grassroots powerhouses. Following the Room 151 link above will take you to some case studies. This link is free to use till 4 June.
I’ve been heartened to see so many councils updating their website compliance and their emails to gov.uk. However we are by no means complacent and there is a lot of work to be done. Cost is seen as one barrier, but this cannot be relied on when you fill out your AGAR form next year. So for that reason I’m sharing the offer from Parish Online with you. I emphases that there are many excellent companies in our area who work in this space and we receive no reward by passing this on.
| NEWS | Parish Online launch free email service for helping councils switch to GOV.UK |
| Parish Online are always looking for ways to help the local council sector become more efficient, resilient and professional. Over the last few years their Website and Email service has been extremely popular due to it helping councils transition to a GOV.UK domain name. However, we know that there’s frustration from some smaller councils who either want to switch but can’t afford it, or there’s resistance from members within. So, Parish Online have launched a “Core” version of their email service to help councils on their journey towards best practice within SAPPP. Parish Online Email Core includes a free GOV.UK domain name, and 1 free mailbox for the clerk. No catches, no upgrade hard-sell, just an opportunity for councils to communicate with residents using a secure and professional email address. To sign up, go to parish-online.co.uk/email and fill in the subscription form, and, if you’re looking for email for all staff and councillors, our full email service is just £260 ex vat per year, or our website service staring from £315 ex vat per year. And you’ll qualify for £100 ex vat off with our Parish Online GOV.UK Switching Fund. |
Next week we look forward both to summer and an average month! No elections and no Annual Meetings, phew! We have Clerks Induction on Friday the 6th in the morning with a number of new clerks who have taken up their posts in the last year.
Of course thoughts of the Conference are filling all our waking thoughts now. We have an amazing group of people working with us this year and reviewing one of the workshops this morning left me buzzing with anticipation, this presenter was really excited about the colleagues he will meet on the day. Flyer Conference 2025 – Place Shaping June 16th take a look for more details.
Don’t forget MKCC in person Parish Forum on the 12 June 2025 and the on line BC Planning forum on the 26th June 2025.
Wishing you a great weekend and looing forward to speaking with you next week.
Kind regards
Mel & Lorraine