Reminders for September, BMKALC Conference, Bucks Community Safety Survey, Nominations for NALC Governance, Take action against Anti-Social Behaviour in your local community.

PLEASE CIRCULATE TO ALL COUNCILLORS

It has been a busy week with the return of councils across the county to normal business after the summer break. 

I attended the MKCC Parish Forum last week and enjoyed the presentations given by Milton Keynes Play Association, The Neighbourhood Services Team and Community Speedwatch.  There was the opportunity to ask questions / raise concerns. A very informative evening and well worth the time spent.  The next forum will be held in December and invitations will be circulated by MKCC nearer the time.

Reminders for September

 For those of you who are newer to the world of town and parish councils, a warm welcome, there are some items for action or consideration this month.

• When the external audit has been completed and the communication from PKF Littlejohn has been received to this effect council must be informed and this must be displayed in the same places as Agendas. 
• Council to agree its objectives for the year ahead so that budget preparations are smoother.
• Review charges ready for budget setting.
• Forward planning – ask a councillor or the finance committee to check the accounts over, so that there is an informal internal ½ yearly check.
• Confirm that the second precept payment has been received.

BMKALC Conference October 17th

Our conference Communities Enrichment & Resilience take place on October 17^th and is our first peer to peer conference offering a host of talks and workshops from your peer colleagues sharing their knowledge and experience in the areas of Community Support, Devolution, Partnerships, Social Prescribing, Enrichment, Funding, Youth engagement and more.

We welcome addresses from the leader of Buckinghamshire Council Cllr Martin Tett and Cabinet Member for Communities, Cllr Arif Husain, from Milton Keynes City Council we warmly welcome Cllr Wilson Marklew Cabinet Member for Climate & Sustainability who also holds responsibility for Parish Partnerships. Our closing keynote address will be delivered by representatives drawn from youth councils from across Buckinghamshire parish and town councils and Milton Keynes City Youth Council giving unique insight on how to reach and engage with your young residents and empower them as future leaders in your communities.

Next year is a fallow year for conference to book tickets for this year’s conference and to view the most up to date conference programme and detail of the workshop opportunities please click HERE

Buckinghamshire Unitary Council,

To help deliver the next 12 months of the strategy, the Safer Buckinghamshire Board is keen to know:

• What impact crime and anti-social behaviour has in local areas
• More about people’s experiences of reporting crime
• How safe or unsafe residents feel in Buckinghamshire

The consultation is open to anyone who lives, works, or studies in Buckinghamshire. It is open until 29 October. You can complete the survey online at: Community safety survey 2023: How can we make Buckinghamshire safer? . Residents can obtain a hard copy by contacting: sbp@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.  This is your opportunity to influence the decision-making process. 

NALC Nominations are now open!

Just a reminder to clerks and councillors who would like to get involved in NALC governance, they recently launched their governance elections.

NALC are inviting National Assembly members to elect the NALC chair, vice-chairs and committee members. Nomination period ends on 25 October.

They are also inviting councillors and clerks who are not members of the National Assembly to get involved too! To encourage participation and representation from all backgrounds, these individuals can stand for direct elections to the Larger Councils Committee and the Smaller Councils Committee.

NALC has created a dedicated webpage outlining committee information, seats up for election and timelines to support the process. We have also partnered with UK Engage to manage online elections to ensure a smooth and streamlined process.

Taking action against anti-social behaviour in your local community

​ Buckinghamshire Council is once again joining forces with partners to help tackle anti-social behaviour and promote community safety in the county.

This week two further Community Action Days are planned:

• Wednesday 20 September – Aylesbury North – 11am – 3pm at Elmhurst Family Centre, Dunsham Lane, HP20 2DB
• Thursday 21 September – Ryemead and Micklefield, High Wycombe – 11am – 3pm at St Anne’s and St Peter’s Church, 245 MickleField Road, HP13 7HU

Residents are invited to pop along to the events to discuss any local concerns with the teams and organisations attending. This includes:

• Neighbourhood Policing Teams
• Buckinghamshire Council staff:
• Community Safety & Anti-Social Behaviour Team
• Public Health
• Helping Hand support
• Waste Management
• Active Travel (bike marking )
• Community Engagement
• Prevention in the community team
• Community Boards
• Neighbourhood Watch
• Fire & Rescue Service
• Housing Teams
• NHS services
• CarersBucks
• Healthwatch Bucks

The events form part of the council’s flagship Opportunity Bucks programme which aims to ensure that all residents in Buckinghamshire have the opportunity to thrive. Extra resources are being focused on 10 key areas around the county which includes parts of High Wycombe and Aylesbury.

• Further multi-agency community action days are planned for October.
• For more information on community safety and how to report an issue visit the council website.

Best regards,

Helen, Mel and Lorraine