The last view for 2022

Dear Clerks

This will be the last View for 2022 which has been a full and challenging year for all of us. 

We started the year, required by law to meet face to face despite the understandable hesitation of many members.  We sat in draughty rooms, muffled not only by masks, but with hats, coats and gloves too!  Thank goodness we didn’t have the weather we enjoyed last week!  I returned at the start of March, with Helen joining in April and Carole saying a fond farewell.  Lorraine remained through the changes, keeping us all cool, calm and collected as we tackled year end and planning for our first year as a new team.  Work on the new website, bringing QuickBooks up to speed and tackling on line banking consumed all of our back office time, these efforts occasionally generated repeat and even random invoicing and possibly a few choice words, but by September, it was all calm and we sailed into the final preparations for our Conference 2022.

Mike Deegan joined our group of excellent partners in providing support to our members, you may recall his presentation at the Conference in October, see our website for full details.

On the outward business facing front, plenty of reading material has been published this year, there’s a summary attached.  You’ll need your NALC login to access them.  We saw Civility and Respect as a key focus with both the pledge and some useful material around recruitment of clerks.  I’ve attached a news update from our HR support partner.  Both MKCC and BC have issued their budget timetable and precept guides, I’m sure you are all now well underway to completing the necessary meetings and agreements, remember this is a whole council decision!

Next year, BMKALC will be 75 years old!  I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the inaugural minutes and will share the highlights with you.  Straight after New Year, we plunge into Free January, with some of our paid courses as well.  We have a new training opportunity Community Assets Register – February 21st at 10am – Online, essential if you are considering taking on Community Assets.  Please ensure Councillors, that if you are booking courses directly, check with your Clerk first, if the booking hasn’t been authorised then you may be held personally liable for the attendance fee.

So much has been happening that our BC members may have missed the changes to Fix My Street, these would have been very helpful to me as a former clerk with a lot of lampposts!  Tracey is doing her best to resolve those irritating completed messages when you can plainly still see the problem!  These features are only accessible via the Buckinghamshire link to the Fix My Street platform www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/fixmystreet, rather than the generic fixmystreet.com . The Buckinghamshire link has some additional features which provides the customer with up to date roadwork information (www.one.network)  and if a report has already been made, at the first point of contact.

On the MK front, we look forward to the launch of the new S106 tracking system which will be accessible to Town and Parish Councils.

I think that is probably enough for now.  We wish you all a merry and festive break, make lots of lovely new memories and come back to us refreshed and looking forward to 2023, there will undoubtably be lots to do!

Kind regards

Mel, Helen and Lorraine