Training & Events Calendar

Course description
Social media offers Parish and Town Councillors as individually-elected members a fantastic opportunity to engage and communicate with their residents. Building up two-way conversations through the power of digital platforms has never been easier, but it can be tricky to get started and to know where to focus your time and effort as an individual Councillor. We walk you through the essential ways to get the most out of key social media platforms as a local Councillor, and provide top tips to engage with your residents

Who should attend
This course is aimed at councillors wishing to learn more about how to use social media

Course Tutor

Breakthrough Communications

Cost (per delegate)
£38+ VAT member
£76+ VAT non member

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Course description
How can you find and encourage a more diverse pool of people to stand or be co-opted as town or parish councillors? It is increasingly hard to find people who are willing to put their names forward either at election time or to be co-opted. We explore effective ways councils and councillors can engage people over time, building up their awareness and interest in the work of the council, in order to better promote and demystify the role of a councillor.

Who should attend
Councils wanting to know how to encourage more, and diverse, people to stand as a councillor.

Course tutor
Breakthrough Communications

Cost (per delegate)
£38+ VAT member
£76+ VAT non member

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Course description
Young people are often a hard-to-reach demographic for councils a engage with. In this session we explore what we mean by young people, what issues matter to them, how to effectively reach and engage with them both online and offline, and how to build partnerships with youth-focused organisations.

Who should attend
Councils wishing to engage more with the younger community.

Course Tutor
Breakthrough Communications

Cost (per delegate)
£38+ VAT member
£76+ VAT non member

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This advanced data protection session deep dives into how councils are required to demonstrate accountability with GDPR. We consider the lawful bases for how councils process personal data and we explore how to create different policies and documents, including your Privacy Notice and Data Protection Impact Assessments.

Who should attend
Clerks and officers

Course Tutor
Breakthrough Communications

Cost per delegate

£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This course provides a broad understanding of the role and responsibilities of a town or parish clerk. This course is a must for newly-appointed clerks, or clerks who feel they could benefit from some formal training.

Who Should Attend?
Suitable for clerks and aspiring clerks

Date & Time (delegates must attend both days)
Day 1 Saturday 25 February 2023 10:00-16:00
Day 2 Saturday 4 March 2023 10:00-16:00

Venue
Online

Course Tutor
Danny Moody

Cost per delegate
£185+ VAT members
£370+ VAT non members

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This advanced data protection session considers how to deal with data subject rights requests, including Subject Access Requests. We explore specific steps to take to ensure you are compliant with the legislation, and we consider what exemptions may apply, and when. We also explore the importance of Information Security for local councils and what this means in practice.

Who should attend
This course is aimed at clerks and officers

Course Tutor
Breakthrough Communications

Cost per delegate

£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Course Description

This webinar will give delegates a wider understanding of Rights of Way.

The course content includes:

• Public Rights of Way
• Maintenance of Public rights
• Obstructions
• Private rights of Way
• Creation of Private rights
• Private rights of Way over Common Land
• Private rights of Way over Village Greens

Who should attend
All town, parish or community clerks, other staff members or councillors involved with or keen to know more about Rights of Way.

Venue

Online

Course Tutor
Roger Taylor is a Consultant at Wellers Hedleys Solicitors, a firm based in Surrey which has an extensive practice dealing with Parish and Town Councils in England. He lectures on subjects such as Common Land, Village Greens and Charitable Trusts and on other matters relating to the practice and procedure of Parish and Town Councils for a number of County Associations.

Cost per delegate
£25 + VAT members
£50+ VAT non members

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Whether you are an experienced Councillor or have only recently been elected, it is vital that you understand how data protection fits with your role as an elected member. With legislation and case law evolving, this interactive session will provide you with an opportunity to make sure you are getting the essentials right and ensure you are meeting your legal obligations as a Councillor.

Who should attend
This course is aimed at councillors to councils of all sizes

Course Tutor
Breakthrough Communications

Cost per delegate

£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This session introduces the Annual Return and the stages of the audit process, enabling you to complete all the relevant steps correctly.

Topics include:
• Closing the accounts
• Debtors and creditors
• Assets and borrowing
• Internal audit
• Reviewing internal control
• The Annual Return
• Electors rights
• Publication requirements

By the end of this session you will:
• Be able to identify the steps needed as part of the audit process
• Understand how to close the council's accounts
• Understand how to complete the Annual Return
• Be able to correctly allow the exercise of electors' rights
• Recognise the need to review internal controls

Who should attend
For officers who want to understand how to prepare their council's Annual Governance & Accountability Return and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

This course is specifically aimed at councils with an income and expenditure basis (mandatory for councils regularly spending over £200,000).

There are alternative sessions for:
Councils under £25,000
Councils that prepare Receipts & Payments accounts

Cost
£30+VAT per person (member)
£60+VAT per person (non-member)

Course Tutor
Steve Parkinson, The Parkinson Partnership LLP
Steve is a former Town Clerk and an accountant with 30 years' experience in public and voluntary sector finance. He now specialises in delivering training and advice on VAT and finance matters for the local council sector.

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Course description
This webinar dives into human psychology, neuroscience and power dynamics. What triggers people to behave from the worst of themselves? How, as leaders can we create environments with fewer trigger situations and more safety? Real-life situations and how to turn them around when they start to get out of hand will be discussed.

Both psychopathic and narcissistic people generally lack empathy and tend to have unrealistically high opinions of themselves. They often exploit and manipulate others and can be hard to spot as they can also be superficially charming. They are also attracted to power roles and are often found in high leadership positions such as company chief executives and political roles.

In this webinar, we learn how to spot them and also how to monitor your own behaviour to lessen their impact on you and your organisation. Each webinar will give real situation scenarios and what to do in each of them.

Who should attend
Clerks and Councillors are welcome to attend

Course Tutor

Becky Walsh is a comedian bringing her humour to subjects of personal development, mental health and is a UK leading expert on intuition. Becky is a sought-after speaker and has a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and is a qualified life coach. She has worked with the Civility and Respect Project to develop courses specifically for Town and Parish Councils.

Cost per delegate
£38+VAT Member
£76+VAT Non member

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

The NLCP is:

• A community of practice in which to share ideas and better ways of doing things

• A relationship brokerage both between larger councils within the partnership and between larger councils and other stakeholders including local, regional and national government

• A catalyst for skills development, identifying needs and working towards continuous development of staff and elected members

• A beacon for local governance in Northamptonshire – setting an example for others to follow

• A vehicle for best value both in terms of member services provided to larger councils by NALC and in services provided by councils to their electorate

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This session is an introduction to the basics of procurement for local councils – inviting quotes, producing specifications and tender documentation, achieving competition and value for money, managing contracts.

Topics include:
• Procurement thresholds
• Basic terminology and steps involved in procurement
• Estimates, quotes and tenders
• Specifications
• Quality and value for money
• Advertising, including Contracts Finder

Session benefits:
By the end of Contracts and Procurement you will:
• Be aware of procurement thresholds
• Recognise when you must advertise on Contracts Finder
• Understand how to produce a specification for what you want
• Understand the basic terminology and steps involved in procurement
• Be able to ensure your procurement achieves value for money

Who should attend
Clerks, Officers and Councillors involved in procuring goods and services, preparing tenders or entering into contracts on behalf of local councils.

Course Tutor
Steve Parkinson, The Parkinson Partnership LLP

Steve is a former Town Clerk and an accountant with 30 years' experience in public and voluntary sector finance. He now specialises in delivering training and advice on VAT and finance matters for the local council sector.

Cost per delegate
£30+ VAT Members
£60+ VAT Non Members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

What to consider when taking on a new service or asset

There's lots of thing to consider before taking on a new asset or service from have you got the power to take it on, the right resources to run a new service or even the man hours to manage the transfer.

We've developed this conference to help get you thinking about some of the things you need to think about or have in place when considering taking on a new service or asset.

This is a two-part online conference during which you'll hear from experts in their fields and time for Q&A after each speaker.

Session two includes:

• Breakthrough Communications - Community Engagement and buy-in
• BHIB Insurance Brokers - Insurance, liabilities and risk assessments
• Northants CALC - Sources of funding

Who should attend
Clerks, officers and councillors are welcome to attend

Cost (per delegate)

Member £38+VAT for one session or £55+VAT for both sessions
Non Member £76+VAT for one session or £110+VAT for both sessions

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Documents:

Preparing for Localism Conference (PDF, 584 Kb)

In an ever-evolving legislative landscape, it is vital that Councils ensure they have the most up-to-date understanding of their data protection and related obligations. This session walks Councils through the principles of GDPR and related legislation including PECR, what it means in practical terms and the systems and processes Councils should have in place to ensure they are working towards sustainable compliance.

Who Should Attend
Clerks and Officers who wish to develop their knowledge in this area.

Course Tutor

Breakthrough Communications

Cost per delegate
£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This session introduces the Annual Return and the stages of the audit process, enabling you to complete all the relevant steps correctly.

Topics include:
• Closing the accounts
• Assets and borrowing
• Internal audit
• Reviewing internal control
• The Annual Return
• Electors rights
• Publication requirements

By the end of this session you will:
• Be able to identify the steps needed as part of the audit process
• Understand how to close the council's accounts
• Understand how to complete the Annual Return
• Be able to correctly allow the exercise of electors' rights
• Recognise the need to review internal controls

Who should attend
For officers who want to understand how to prepare their council's Annual Governance & Accountability Return and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

This course is specifically aimed at councils with receipts and payments over £25,000.

There are alternative sessions for:
Councils under £25,000
Councils that prepare Income and Expenditure accounts

Cost
£30+VAT per person (member)
£60+VAT per person (non-member)

Course Tutor
Steve Parkinson, The Parkinson Partnership LLP
Steve is a former Town Clerk and an accountant with 30 years' experience in public and voluntary sector finance. He now specialises in delivering training and advice on VAT and finance matters for the local council sector.

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Are you aware of your responsibilities as a Councillor under the Code of Conduct? If there was a planning application next door would you declare an interest? What type of interest? What if the application was down the road but opposite your good friend's house? This course will look at the practical operation of the Code of Conduct at parish and town council level and will answer all your questions as to what interests to declare and when. We will look at how the Standards regime has changed from a rules-based system to a principles-based one and we'll look at what the future might hold. The course will address practicalities such as dealing with requests for dispensations and making arrangements for Councillors who have declared an interest and need to leave the room. We'll look at the complaints process and discuss the range of sanctions that are available should a Councillor be found to be in breach of the Code. This course is suitable for all Councillors as well as clerks who are often put in the awkward position of providing advice to Councillors on their interests.

Welcome to our Virtual Classroom! These are not webinars. These are live, interactive 'classroom' based sessions led by one of our experienced trainers. You'll take part, ask questions and contribute to the group discussion in the same way you would if you were attending an open course. With whiteboarding, 'raise your hand', and screen sharing, our aim is to as closely as possible replicate the experience of attending one of our open training courses.

Who Should Attend
This course will be of particular interest to Councillors and clerks who are trying to do a good job and need to understand the framework within which they operate.

Course Tutor

Danny Moody, Chief Executive, Northants CALC

Cost per delegate
£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

What to consider when taking on a new service or asset

There's lots of thing to consider before taking on a new asset or service from have you got the power to take it on, the right resources to run a new service or even the man hours to manage the transfer.

We've developed this conference to help get you thinking about some of the things you need to think about or have in place when considering taking on a new service or asset.

This is a two-part online conference during which you'll hear from experts in their fields and time for Q&A after each speaker.

Session one includes:

• Personnel Advice and Solution - Employment related implications
• Parkinson Partnership - Financial liability, considerations, VAT
• Wellers Hedley - Legal process of transfers, legal liabilities, contracts, leases

Who should attend
Clerks, officers and councillors are welcome to attend

Cost (per delegate)

Member £38+VAT for one session or £55+VAT for both sessions
Non Member £76+VAT for one session or £110+VAT for both sessions

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Documents:

Preparing for Localism Conference (PDF, 584 Kb)

This session will help you consider practical and effective ways for your Council to systematically and proactively find out what really matters to people living within your parish, through a range of print and digital tools.

Discover the tools, strategies and techniques needed to not just better promote your own messages but also to better hear and respond to the voices within your local community, and get buy-in on your vision for your community's future.

Who should attend
This course is open to Clerks, Officers and Councillors wanting to engage with their community.

Course Tutor

Breakthrough Communications

Cost per delegate
£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Venue:

Marie Reilly

Contact:

Online

Key Topics covered:

• Preparation of the agenda, what should and should not be included?
• Publication of the agenda; when and how?
• Minuting meetings: what should and shouldn't be included in the minutes; the importance of accurate note taking; signing of the minutes; publication of the minutes, when and how; and the policy for preserving Parish/Town Council minutes.

Who Should Attend
Suitable for: Clerks, Deputy Clerks and administrative staff wishing to learn about or brush up their knowledge of Parish/Town Council agendas and minutes.

Course Tutor

Marie Reilly, Training Manager Northants CALC

Cost per delegate
£38 members
£76 non members

Welcome to our Virtual Classroom! These are not webinars. These are live, interactive 'classroom' based sessions led by one of our experienced trainers. You'll take part, ask questions and contribute to the group discussion in the same way you would if you were attending an open course. With whiteboarding, 'raise your hand', and screen sharing, our aim is to as closely as possible replicate the experience of attending one of our open training courses.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Beyond Facebook: how councils can make use of Instagram, Twitter and other platforms to get their message across

More and more Councils are looking to use a range of social media platforms in order to increase their digital reach into their community. Instagram and Twitter are two key platforms that offer a range of benefits for Councils. This practical session looks at how to get started and what strategies and techniques are working well for councils like yours.

Who Should Attend
Clerks, Councillors and officers wanting to know how to use social media platforms

Course Tutor

Breakthrough Communications

Cost per delegate
£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) is a Level 3 accredited and recognised qualification for the Local Council Sector, designed to test basic levels of competence for the role of parish clerk. CiLCA has been designed to cover all aspects of the clerk's role and learners are required to compile a portfolio of evidence to show they fully understand their job.

There are 30 Learning Outcomes within the 5 units covering the following topics:

• Core roles in local council administration
• Law and procedure for local councils
• Finance for local councils
• Management for local councils
• Community Engagement

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Social media provides town and parish Councils a unique opportunity to significantly enhance their communications – yet few Councils are fully reaping the benefits on offer. Moreover, few councils have a clear social media strategy in place. This comprehensive course looks at how to build a social media strategy that seeks to promote your services and key council priorities.

Who should attend
Clerk, officers and Councillors wanting to create an effective social media strategy for their council

Cost per delegate)

£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

When booking onto this course, the details that you provide will be used to book you onto a third party website where you will receive booking confirmation. Your details will only be used for the purposes of sending joining instructions.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) is a Level 3 accredited and recognised qualification for the Local Council Sector, designed to test basic levels of competence for the role of parish clerk. CiLCA has been designed to cover all aspects of the clerk's role and learners are required to compile a portfolio of evidence to show they fully understand their job.

There are 30 Learning Outcomes within the 5 units covering the following topics:

• Core roles in local council administration
• Law and procedure for local councils
• Finance for local councils
• Management for local councils
• Community Engagement

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This session introduces the Annual Return and the stages of the audit process, enabling you to complete all the relevant steps correctly.

Topics include:
• Closing the accounts
• Assets and borrowing
• Internal audit
• Reviewing internal control
• The Annual Return
• Electors rights
• Publication requirements

By the end of this session you will:
• Be able to identify the steps needed as part of the audit process
• Understand how to close the council's accounts
• Understand how to complete the Annual Return
• Be able to correctly allow the exercise of electors' rights
• Recognise the need to review internal controls

Who should attend
For officers who want to understand how to prepare their council's Annual Governance & Accountability Return and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

This course is specifically aimed at councils with receipts and payments over £25,000.

There are alternative sessions for:
Councils under £25,000
Councils that prepare Income and Expenditure accounts

Cost
£30+VAT per person (member)
£60+VAT per person (non-member)

Course Tutor
Steve Parkinson, The Parkinson Partnership LLP
Steve is a former Town Clerk and an accountant with 30 years' experience in public and voluntary sector finance. He now specialises in delivering training and advice on VAT and finance matters for the local council sector.

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

To support clerks through their learning journey we are introducing CiLCA focus sessions. You can use these as a dedicated time and space to complete some of your portfolio work, to ask questions about specific Learning Outcomes or for general support in building your portfolio.

These sessions are optional and free of charge to those who have attended CiLCA training.

To attend a session please email mreilly@northantscalc.com.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Course description
Social media offers Parish and Town Councillors as individually-elected members a fantastic opportunity to engage and communicate with their residents. Building up two-way conversations through the power of digital platforms has never been easier, but it can be tricky to get started and to know where to focus your time and effort as an individual Councillor. We walk you through the essential ways to get the most out of key social media platforms as a local Councillor, and provide top tips to engage with your residents

Who should attend
This course is aimed at councillors wishing to learn more about how to use social media

Course Tutor

Breakthrough Communications

Cost (per delegate)
£38+ VAT member
£76+ VAT non member

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

This session introduces the Annual Return and the stages of the audit process, enabling you to complete all the relevant steps correctly.

Topics include:
• Closing the accounts
• Assets and borrowing
• Internal audit
• Reviewing internal control
• The Annual Return
• Electors rights
• Publication requirements

By the end of this session you will:
• Be able to identify the steps needed as part of the audit process
• Understand how to close the council's accounts
• Understand how to complete the Annual Return
• Be able to correctly allow the exercise of electors' rights
• Recognise the need to review internal controls

Who should attend
For officers who want to understand how to prepare their council's Annual Governance & Accountability Return and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

This course is specifically aimed at councils with receipts and payments over £25,000.

There are alternative sessions for:
Councils under £25,000
Councils that prepare Income and Expenditure accounts

Cost
£30+VAT per person (member)
£60+VAT per person (non-member)

Course Tutor
Steve Parkinson, The Parkinson Partnership LLP
Steve is a former Town Clerk and an accountant with 30 years' experience in public and voluntary sector finance. He now specialises in delivering training and advice on VAT and finance matters for the local council sector.

Please note: the course is open to all county associations and will therefore have clerks and councillors not from Northamptonshire in attendance. We hope that this will allow for this course to be delivered more often and throughout the year.

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly

Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy – a session for Parish/Town Councillors covering the existing Section 106 agreements regime and providing an introduction to the Community Infrastructure Levy. The training will include a section of ensuring that the requests for financial and other contributions that Parish and Town Councils submit are as persuasive as they can be.

The Community Infrastructure Levy is a planning charge which helps to deliver infrastructure in an area to support local development. West Northamptonshire Local Authorities (Northampton, Daventry and South Northamptonshire) have adopted CIL and North Northamptonshire Councils are still considering whether to adopt this charge.

The Localism Act 2011 amended the CIL regulations to ensure that a 'meaningful proportion' of this charge would be directed to those areas where development occurs. This has resulted in Town and Parish Council's receiving payments which they can decide how it will be spent on local infrastructure.

This workshop will;

• Inform you what CIL is, what the charging regime is for West Northamptonshire Councils and how the charge is applied and collected
• Examine exemptions from CIL and what this means for Town and Parish Councils
• Explain how CIL sits alongside site specific Developer Contributions (s106 agreements)
• Describe what CIL can be spent on by the 'collecting authority' (Regulation 123 list) and how Town and Parish Councils can spend their payments and explain the difference in payments if you have a Neighbourhood Plan.
• Explain what the reporting requirements of CIL are for Town and Parish Councils
• Provide case studies of what CIL payments may represent for different areas with and without a Neighbourhood Plan

Who should attend
Suitable for Clerks and Councillors

Course Tutor
Lance Wiggins, Lion Planning

Cost per delegate
£38+ VAT members
£76+ VAT non members

Venue:

Online

Contact:

Marie Reilly