Dear Colleagues
This week opened with the Clerks Seminar Day. There was an amazing turnout of Clerks, highlighting the appetite for a local event for those clerks who can’t enjoy the excellent national events that the SLCC host.
I think it’s fair to say that The Gateway was buzzing! The exhibitors were happy, the speakers were happy, our workshop hosts happy, everyone was fed and watered and we all learnt something new! Thank you for your feedback if, you haven’t done it yet we would really like to hear from you so that we can share it with Keith and Emma and decide if we are going to do something similar again in the future.
We had an excellent training course with Daniel from Breakthrough Communications on Professional Complaints Management. Managing complaints is an increasingly resource hungry activity for nearly all of us and Daniel was able to break down the process into four bitesize steps for us to follow.
Your Executive Board met last night and it was highlighted that there will be 2026 International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) event in Milton Keynes on Sunday 26 April 2025 at 11.00 outside the Theatre – processing to the Rose at 1130. All welcome.
Subscription invoices will be landing on your virtual doormat this morning. It was voted to raise the subscription to 24p per elector per annum at the AGM last year, note that this includes the subscription to NALC too. We will be sending out an Annual Report giving full details of our activities and how we continue to provide you with the services you ask for. Our Service Level Agreement has also been circulated under separate email cover.
On the wider landscape The Charity Commission has today (22 April) published updated guidance for charity trustees on conflicts of interest, with research by the regulator suggesting many trustees are unsure how to recognise a conflict.
The redesigned guidance helps trustees identify and manage both financial conflicts – where a trustee or someone connected to them stands to gain money or other value – and conflicts of loyalty – where obligations to another person or organisation could influence a trustee’s judgement.
Buckinghamshire Council announced changes to Conservation Areas in
- Buckingham: The Conservation Area has been expanded in four locations. The updated area now comprises four Character Areas, defined by building topography, historical development, land use, and appearance.
- Haddenham: The Conservation Area boundary has been revised, with four additions and two removals, resulting in ten Character Areas.
- Winslow: The Conservation Area boundary has been revised with two additions and two removals, alongside minor refinements to follow plot lines more accurately. The updated Conservation Area will comprise five Character Areas.
Next week we have the BC Clerks Forums, followed by the first formal CiLCA 2026 training day and the Executive Board will be meeting on Friday, to review the strategic direction and future objectives for BMKALC.
We wish you a relaxing weekend and shall look forward to speaking with you next week.
Kind regards
Mel, Lorraine and Jess
