English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026
The Act, which received Royal assent on 29th April, introduces new community and governance reforms that will affect how decisions are made and how communities can be involved.
Principal authorities, such as Somerset Council, are now required to put in place effective neighbourhood governance arrangements. Engagement by our national association, NALC, and their Westminster Forum of MPs and Peers, has helped to secure a legal requirement that principal authorities engage with parish and town councils about their representation on these new neighbourhood governance arrangements, along with regulations to enable this representation.
The Government has committed to review its community governance guidance before the summer recess, and to publish a new neighbourhood governance framework.
In parallel, recommendations from Somerset Council’s “Community Working Review” begin to make their way through the council’s democratic structures this week, with the intention of agreeing the future of community governance in Somerset this summer.
The Act also introduces a new Community Right to Buy for community assets. The changes build upon the existing Right to Bid, to strengthen the position of the community when valued assets come up for sale. Although there is no access to formal funding support, a longer moratorium period means that community organisations will now have 12 months to raise the necessary funds through fundraising, borrowing, and grants.
These improvements to city, town, and parish council representation secured by NALC, and SALC’s close working relationship with Somerset Council on its Community Working Review, offer a tangible demonstration of what a stronger voice for our sector can achieve.
Councillors’ home addresses no longer published
From 29th June 2026, The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 amends the Localism Act to remove the requirement for councillors’ home addresses to be published on the register of interests.
Declaration of home addresses will still be required for the purposes of transparency as it relates to conflicts of interest, but the register will state that an interest exists without revealing the address detail.
The change comes due to growing concerns in recent years over abuse and intimidation of politicians at all levels. The Local Government Association’s 2025 survey showed rates of abuse were reported at higher levels among councillors who are women (78%), LGBT+ (85%), or disabled (86%).
Disappointment as King’s Speech omits key sector reforms
SALC echoes NALC’s disappointment that the Government’s legislative programme in last Wednesday’s King’s Speech omitted measures to permanently allow remote and hybrid council meetings for parish and town councils and local authorities, and also omitted vital legislation to strengthen the standards regime in local government.
These key issues underwent consultation by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) last year, and both received support for change from across all levels of local government.
In recognition of the strength of feeling, the Government’s response had accepted the position and stated that, “legislation will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.” It was reasonably hoped that this was that time.
The ability to meet remotely proved highly effective during the COVID-19 pandemic, improving accessibility, increasing participation, and supporting councillors with caring responsibilities, disabilities, or work commitments. Its omission represents a missed opportunity to modernise local democracy and remove unnecessary barriers to public service.
NALC has voiced its concerns that parish and town councils continue to operate within a framework that lacks sufficient powers to deal effectively with councillor misconduct and uphold public confidence. Supporting our member councils through such challenges remains a significant proportion of SALC’s case work.
It’s now hoped that the introduction of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill might provide an opportunity to push for the delivery of reform of the local government standards regime, alongside its wider focus on accountability.
NALC has also identified that the Representation of the People Bill must go further to modernise and strengthen democratic participation, and therefore could offer an opportunity to permit parish and town councils to hold remote and hybrid meetings, and to positively reform the standards regime.
SALC continues to work with NALC as it keeps these much needed reforms alive to be brought forward as soon as possible.
Clarification AGAR Box 11 & customer satisfaction
External auditors are receiving queries about Box 11 on the 2025/26 Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) from councils that are not sole managing trustees.
If your parish or town council is not a sole managing trustee, you must answer YES at Box 11 on the Accounting Statements (see Paragraph 2.32 of the Practitioners’ Guide 2025, available on the SALC website page: Council finance). Leaving Box 11 blank might result in a qualified audit.
Please note that queries relating to the AGAR should, in the first instance, be raised with SALC and not the external auditor.
PKF Littlejohn LLP, the appointed external auditors to smaller authorities within Somerset, is looking at ways to improve the quality of its work and service. A key part of this is gathering feedback from the smaller authorities through satisfaction surveys to better understand what is working well and where improvements are needed.
A link to the satisfaction survey is available for download on its
website.
New edition of the Practitioner’s guide 2026/27
The Smaller Authorities Proper Practices Panel (SAPPP) has published the latest 2026/27 edition of the Practitioners’ Guide, which brings important updates for authorities preparing Annual Governance and Accountability Returns for financial years starting on or after 1 April 2026.
The new Guide is available for download on the SALC website, council finance page.
Changes to employment rights & no progress on the NJC pay claim
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025), introduced under the Government’s Make Work Pay plan, is making changes in the field of employment that council employers should be aware of. In addition to the ERA 2025 there are bills, amendments to codes of practice, and consultations.
Holiday Pay:
From 6 April 2026, employers are under a new legal duty to keep adequate records to show they are complying with holiday entitlement and holiday pay rules. This includes records showing that workers have received the correct amount of annual leave, the right holiday pay, and any payment due for untaken statutory leave when employment ends. Failure to keep adequate holiday records could be a criminal offence with potential penalties applied.
Statutory Sick Pay:
Legislative changes to Statutory Sick Pay mean that it is now payable from day one of sickness and is available to all employees regardless of earnings. Councils should remember that officers accrue holiday entitlement as normal when they are off work due to sickness.
Unpaid leave:
Any period of authorised unpaid leave starting after 1st April 2026 and for a period of less than 15 days, will now be pensionable using the pay amounts the officer would normally receive.
SALC members can find a timeline of the most relevant imminent changes on the Resources & Guidance page in the website knowledge hub.
NJC Pay claim:
The National Joint Council (NJC) trade unions side has rejected the employers’ pay offer of 3.3%, which means that no settlement is agreed. We expect that, as usual, agreement will be reached later in the year and backdated to April.
Useful information for officers with several small pensions pots from multiple jobs
The new Pensions Schemes Act 2026 allows multiple small pensions pots that are no longer receiving contributions to be brought together automatically. When implemented, this could give you a much clearer picture of your overall retirement savings and prevent small pots from being forgotten and reduced through management fees. Regulations are expected in 2027/28, with implementation in 2030.
Wincanton Town Council awarded under LCAS
Congratulations to Wincanton Town Council for being awarded the Bronze Award as part of the prestigious Local Council Award Scheme (LCAS), administered by NALC.
The council is committed to building on this success, working towards strengthening its services and deepening its engagement with the local community.
Somerset is proud to celebrate the achievements of all its parish and town councils who strive not only to enhance the council’s reputation, but to contribute to the national reputation of parish and town councils, showcasing achievements, professionalism, and commitment to continuous improvement.
SALC’s Chairs’ Forum welcomes new members
SALC’s Chair’s Forum facilitates support, networking, and sharing of good ideas across our c.270 city, town, and parish council chairs.
Join in to meet fellow council chairs, share your experiences, and learn from each other.
If you are a chairperson who would like to join the monthly Teams call and WhatsApp group, email
info@somerset-alc.org.uk The next Chairs’ Forum will be at 6pm on Monday 1st June.
Somerset Climate Adaption
Somerset Council and its partners have launched two climate adaptation programmes over the past month:
“Act Together to Adapt” and Somerset Integrated Care System (ICS)’ Adaptation Community of Practice
SALC joined numerous senior Somerset Council officers on Monday 27 April, at the Firepool Digital Innovation Centre by Taunton Station, for a working session launching
“Act Together to Adapt” , a collaboration between the University of Bristol and Somerset Wildlife Trust, in cooperation with Somerset Council, and funded by the Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) hub, to explore practical ways for Somerset Council draw on community plans for climate adaptation.
In parallel, Somerset ICS (a partnership between Somerset NHS and Somerset Council) has launched its
“Adaptation Community of Practice”, inviting SALC to champion the local council role delivering and implementing climate adaptation activities.
The extent of senior officer engagement in both is a positive indication of how city, town, and parish community leadership can help our Somerset-wide organisations to tackle the challenges of adaptation, bringing local expertise and capabilities constructively to bear.
Councils can access a raft of free advice and guidance on climate change via a website developed by Save our Shropshire and now operated by the SLCC.
Environment Agency flood survey appeal
The Environment Agency would like to invite people in communities to take part in a short survey.
This research will help it understand what information people find most useful when checking their possible future flood risk or thinking about how to prepare for flooding.
The survey is simple and should only take a few minutes to complete. You will first be asked a small number of questions about your experience and views. You will then be invited to choose up to five items from a list of information and actions that would matter most to you in this situation.
There are no right or wrong answers. The EA is interested in your honest views and first impressions. Your responses will help it understand which information and actions are most important to communities and what it should prioritise in future design and research.
If you would like to take part, please complete the survey by
Friday 29th May.
Complete the survey here
Chance to volunteer in the Martyn’s Law Guidance consultations
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is offering councils the opportunity to volunteer any of their events or premises in scope of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (otherwise known as Martyn’s Law) to be used to test SIA systems and processes.
The SIA is the regulator for Martyn’s Law, which is expected to come into force in Spring 2027.
Martyn’s Law, named in memory of Martyn Hett, one of 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena attack, aims to keep people safe by ensuring that publicly accessible premises and events are better prepared for, and protected, in the event of a terrorist attack.
The SIA is inviting premises and events to take part in a pilot on assessment and inspection, or to help test the digital service. Taking part will give those in scope an opportunity to provide feedback to the SIA prior to launch and to shape the way Martyn’s Law is regulated.
Any interested council should
sign up by the end of May 2026.
NALC survey:The Home Office has published s.27 statutory guidance on the Act
here. The Martyn’s Law Steering Group for the parish and town council sector has reviewed the guidance and will be developing user-friendly sector templates to help parish and town councils know whether they are organising events and have premises hosting events in scope of the Act.
To help inform the steering group as to whether the Home Office guidance linked above is clear enough, please complete the
NALC 5-minute survey by 5pm, 29th May.
BBC casting call – community heritage items in need of restoration
The BBC series, The Repair Shop On The Road, travels across the UK helping restore items that are at the heart of local communities and their shared history.
The series is currently hoping to speak with town and parish councils who may know of objects in their area that:
- Have real significance to the wider community (not just an individual or organisation)
- Are locally recognisable or well-loved (past or present)
- Have fallen into disrepair and need expert restoration
- Ideally have a story that brings people together or reflects a shared local identity
Examples might include:
- Public clocks, bells or town signage
- Items from former industries (mills, mines, shipyards, etc.)
- Objects tied to local traditions, events or gathering places
- Features from historic buildings, parks, or community spaces
As this is for the
On The Road series, restorations would take place in situ within the community, allowing local people to be part of the process and see something meaningful brought back to life.
For information, contact Ayrton McGurgan at
Ayrton.McGurgan@ricochet.co.uk
