Taskforce produces updated governance toolkit to support local council officers
A taskforce made up of representatives from the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC), the Association of Democratic Services Officers (ADSO) and Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) have produced an updated Local Council Governance Toolkit for councils in England.
The SLCC said there was an “obvious need for more clarity and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of clerks and monitoring officers and the need to support officers who are experiencing problems with standards and behaviour".
It added that the guide, which was originally produced in 2005, was designed to sit alongside The Clerks’ Manual and Charles Arnold-Baker on Local Council Administration.
The SLCC said the toolkit had been updated to provide information on a range of issues including governance, roles and responsibilities, public engagement, managing information and elections, along with template policies, protocols and forms.
Available to members of the SLCC, LLG and ADSO, it is intended to be an evolving document and will be updated as changes in legislation and regulations are introduced.
The move comes as town, parish and community councils have been thrust into the spotlight recently with the conduct of several Handforth Parish councillors during a parish council meeting.
The SLCC said it had recently commissioned Hoey Ainscough Associates to conduct a survey on improving professional standards, the results of which will be presented at its Practitioners’ Conference later this month. However, it said that initial findings suggested that there had been no improvement since the original survey in 2017.
The Taskforce Chair, ADSO chair John Austin, said: “We are delighted to be able to present this Toolkit which we hope will be a really helpful resource to local council clerks.”
SLCC Chief Executive, Rob Smith, said: “I am delighted to see the very timely launch of the updated Governance Toolkit. It is vital that officers are armed with the very best tools to do the jobs that they carry out so diligently day in and day out. Thanks to all the members of the taskforce whose contribution to this important resource is invaluable”.
CEO of LLG Deborah Evans said: “Quite simply, this is a guide as to how to exercise local democracy well. With well-pitched advice on managing behaviour, social media, encouraging constituents, and overcoming conflict and bias; parish, town and community councils will be well placed to make sound decisions that will be respected by their community. It’s a tough world out there, and we aim to help local councils get it right first time.”
See also: Lessons to be learned from ‘that’ council meeting - John Pugh-Smith seeks to embrace some of the legal issues that arose out of the infamous remote meeting of a committee at Handforth Parish Council.
