A view from our window

So here we are the last day of July 2023.  If your council is one of those who take an August summer recess you will be allowing yourself a small sigh of relief before attending to the backlog of housework items you’ve been avoiding.  BMKALC don’t train in August so for us too, it’s a […]

With the roads clearer and the town centre car parks full, it can only mean that School is out for Summer!  It took 15 minutes for me to find a parking space yesterday in the centre of Aylesbury, apparently Barbie is pulling in the crowds! A few items to bring to your attention of which

This is the last Friday edition of the View, in future we shall forward it on a Monday in order to start the week.  Judging by how many out of office responses I receive on a Friday, this shouldn’t adversely affect most of you. I hope you all had an opportunity to remember and celebrate

Dear Members This week Helen led some of our clerks through making the most of Agenda and Minutes with an in-person training course at Judges Lodgings.  The most experienced clerks will tell you that there is a real skill in consistently producing a quality agenda which feeds into the minutes, and we never stop refining

Dear Colleagues What a week!  Without a key member of our team, and when there are only three of you, you really miss the contributions from the one enjoying a holiday week!  Added to that I was away in Newport Pagnell visiting the Town Council for two days and learning huge amounts about Community Assets

Dear Colleagues This week we had a lunch time date with Financial Regulations, flew high with a meeting on the London Luton Expansion Plans, rejigged our major event calendar, visited MK Parish Liaison,  enjoyed a one to one orientation session with a new deputy clerk and ignited the fuse towards getting more councils onto the

Dear Colleagues This week is was a great pleasure to visit Chalfont St Giles Parish Council and present their Local Council Award Scheme – Foundation Level Certificate.  A sterling job in demonstrating adherence to governance and good practice in all areas of the Council’s business.  Officers are key at Foundation level in bringing together the

Dear Colleagues CLERKS PLEASE CIRCULATE TO COUNCILLORS So that’s it folks, back to full weeks from  now until August, where has the year gone!  This week BMKALC were finally able to confirm the venue for this year’s conference (17 October 2023) and I’m delighted to say that we are back at the Oculus in Aylesbury. 

Dear Colleagues CLERKS PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR COUNCILLORS Finally we end the week in sunshine with the promise of a bright bank holiday and start to half term, the posh patio at chez Woof is fully operational and barbecues, or braais where I come from, are in place and fully deployed!  I hope you are

CLERKS PLEASE CIRCULATE TO YOUR COUNCILLORS In conversation with councillors this week I was struck by how many still haven’t a clue about the operational tasks required to keep even the smallest councils running.  So my suggestion this week is that when you circulate our View to your councillor team, you preface it with a