SALC has a new customer enquiry management system. In order that we can ensure that a response to your enquiry is made as swiftly as possible, please send all your general and training related emails to info@somerset-alc.org.uk
Save the date for SALC’s “Somerset Parishes Conference 2025”, on Friday 3rd October at the Canalside Conference Centre, North Petherton, TA6 6LQ.
The 2025 Conference is supported by our sponsors, Parish Online and SALC’s new CRM provider, CloudyIT.
As reported in our May newsletter, SALC is leading the organisation of this year’s conference, with welcome support from Somerset Council, as we all continue to work through the impact of unitarisation on Somerset’s parish sector.
The day will begin with SALC’s AGM. We welcome recommendations from our members for workshops that you would find most beneficial.
We are keen to showcase the good works of member councils – is your council running a project that is improving lives in your community? Would your council like to share details about the project with fellow councillors and council officers?
Parish Online is always looking for ways to help the local council sector become more efficient, resilient, and professional. It recognises that, over the last few years its website and email service has been extremely popular due to the help offered to councils transitioning to a gov.uk domain name.
Parish Online finds that there is still frustration from some smaller councils that either want to switch but can’t afford it, or there’s resistance from members within. Therefore, Parish Online has launched a “Core” version of its email service to help councils on their journey towards best practice within SAPPP. Parish Online’s Email Core includes a free gov.uk domain name, and 1 free mailbox for the clerk. No catches, no upgrade hard-sell, just an opportunity for councils to communicate with residents using a secure and professional email address.
To sign up, go to parish-online.co.uk/email and fill in the subscription form.
This offer is limited to members of SALC and Parish Online’s other partner county associations.
If you’re looking for email for all staff and councillors, Parish Online’s full email service is just £260 per year, and you’ll qualify for £100 off with its Parish Online GOV.UK Switching Fund.
As our world gets to grips with AI and rapid advances in technology, SALC’s Parish Conference sponsor, Cloudy IT is hosting an Interactive Workshop about AI Scenarios and Use Cases.
The workshop is FREE to SALC members and takes place in Somerset Council’s Shepton Mallet offices on 18th July, 10am-3pm.
The interactive activities will consider how to harness the power of AI to improve outcomes for people in the context of the communities you serve, and will involve hands-on activities with AI tools. Participants will have the opportunity to interact and experience AI in action, providing a real-world understanding of AI’s capabilities. A review of AIs role in the planning process from the council’s role as a consultee. A look at reviewing past public comments from minutes to build a questionnaire and (for purposes of a demo) the analysis of the results – showcasing AIs role in data driven decisions.
For full details about the free workshop, and to make a booking, see the CloudyIT website.
Following the government’s October 2024 consultation on remote attendance and proxy voting, its support for councils to hold remote and hybrid meetings was confirmed on 5th June. This is in line with SALC and NALC’s consultation responses.
Parish and town councils will also be permitted to implement proxy voting for those councillors absent through long-term illness or becoming a new parent, but is not required (as it is for principal authorities).
The government’s stated message is that while in-person meetings should be the default position, town and parish councils will have the autonomy to decide how and when to allow remote attendance, designing their own policies with local knowledge to reflect local need.
The government plans to work with the local government sector to create guidance that supports effective implementation of these policies in a way that’s proportionate and flexible for smaller councils.
Legislative change is anticipated, and councils are reminded not to proceed with remote or hybrid meetings until this is complete; no timeline has yet been given.
You can read the government’s response, here
As reported on the SALC website, the Certificate in Local Council Administration is undergoing some changes to the portfolio and online submission platform. The current 2022 Portfolio Guide has been discontinued and is no longer available to new applicants (current CiLCA students are unaffected).
The qualification, managed by the Society of Local Council Clerks, will re-launch towards the end of this year with registrations on the new platform opening on 2nd February 2026.
Training for the qualification is now a mandatory requirement for registration, and in Somerset training is delivered to council officers by SALC’s Sam Winter, who is an SLCC recognised trainer.
Ahead of the February 2026 intake, Sam intends to start the series of CiLCA in-person training and support sessions in December this year.
To help us plan the sessions, if you are a clerk or council officer who is keen to become qualified, please email sam@somerset-alc.org.uk with a brief expression of interest. Sam will host an online Q & A in September this year for those who have made contact.
The CiLCA qualification is a highly respected and valued level 3 qualification for clerks that’s frequently sought after by active and aspirational councils when recruiting. Being CiLCA qualified not only proves a clerk’s competence but can assist the council in gaining the General Power of Competence.
For officers ready to embark on a degree-level qualification, the SLCC has launched the new portfolio for its distance learning programme on Community Governance that explores how individuals and organisations collaborate and make decisions for the betterment of their local community.
This advanced qualification is awarded by De Montfort University and commences in February 2026. More details can be found on the SLCC website.
For those officers who are not quite ready to embark on a formal qualification, but still need more insight to the clerk role, SALC offers a series of 3 training events covering the essential basics of powers & duties, meetings, agendas, and minutes, and council finance.
More experienced clerks also can find the sessions useful as a refresher to remind them of the rules and processes that should apply, but can get forgotten when doing the day job.
The next series starts in September, for details keep an eye on the SALC website training page.
For councillors and officers in need of IT training, SALC has partnered with Somerset Parish Conference sponsor, CloudyIT, to offer a competitively priced Council Mastery Series of workshops providing expert training on how to improve efficiency by making use of Office 365’s thirty apps, including Teams for collaboration, Planner for project management, OneNote digital notebook to replace your ring binders, Booking for scheduling yours and your partners appointments, plus forms to create quizzes and polls, and lots more.
You can watch a short video about the offer here:
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Attendance is free for CloudyIT customers and charged at £40 per attendee for non-customers.
All bookings are made through the CloudyIT website professional development hub.
Somerset Council wants to hear your views on how it can improve its engagement with communities across our county.
The council is appointing external consultants to conduct a review of all the unitary council’s community engagement, extending across all services, and including the evolution of Local Community Networks (LCNs) and the most effective role for the team of Link Officers.
This consultation will be conducted in quarter three (September onwards), to produce recommendations to the council by December, and implementation of revised approaches in the next financial year (from April 2026). Service areas such as the ‘Minor Highways Improvement Scheme’, and introducing charges to parishes for emptying bins beyond Somerset Council land, have recently highlighted some areas where engagement approaches could be improved.
SALC recently invited Somerset Council’s LCN and Community Development leads to its monthly Clerks’ Market Towns Forum.
We will work together with the Somerset Council team to help bring a city, town, and parish perspective to Somerset Council’s Economic Strategy, Local Plan, and Local Transport Plans, over coming months, including via SALC’s monthly Chairs’ Forum as well through LCNs. Please get in touch at info@somerset-alc.org.uk if you are a council chairperson who would like to join the Chairs’ Forum.
NALC has partnered with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) to launch a new survey designed to help parish and town councils enhance their flood resilience.
The short survey will capture what information and support parish and town councils need to better plan for flooding. The results will directly shape the development of practical resources tailored to local needs, ensuring that any future resources are genuinely helpful and relevant.
SALC member councils are encouraged to respond to the survey by 23:45 on 29 August 2025.
To ensure a broad and representative range of input, we request one response per parish or town council. The survey link is here.
Somerset Council in collaboration with the Somerset Local Nature Partnership, has been working closely with a wide range of groups, including local communities, farmers, and landowners to help shape the Somerset Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) and decide on the key priorities and actions.
Time has also been spent identifying and mapping the places that matter most for nature, and where nature recovery interventions will have the most impact. This includes where improving or restoring biodiversity could help tackle environmental challenges in a natural, sustainable way.
The team are now in the process of finalising the draft Somerset LNRS Habitat map prior to public consultation, which is likely to go live for a 6 week period beginning in late August / early September.
Find out more about Somerset Local Nature Recovery Strategy:
An introduction to Somerset LNRS
Latest updates on the development of the strategy
SALC is pleased to announce that we will be supporting the national association of local councils (NALC) Star Council Awards this year to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the parish and town council sector.
The Star Council Awards are the only awards programme in England specifically designed to acknowledge the impact and contribution of parish and town councils and are open to NALC/SALC parish and town councils, councillors, county associations, and clerks across England.
The nomination period ends on 5 September 2025, and the winners will be announced at the parliamentary reception in the House of Lords on 24 February 2026.
Visit the NALC website for more information and how to submit a nomination.
NALC has published the all-new and fully updated digital edition of Local Councils Explained, the must-have resource for anyone working with or interested in parish and town councils.
This updated digital edition is more accessible and practical, and is completely free to NALC/SALC members through the NALC website.
The digital book is faster to navigate and fits perfectly with NALC’s commitment to a digital-first future and environmental responsibility.
SALC member councils can sign up for access to the NALC website, here.
The formerly issued legal topic notes remain available on the SALC website.
RBL welcomes all representatives from every level of local government in England and Wales – from town, community and parish councils to directly-elected mayors – to join the Councillor Network.
Members of the Network will receive regular communication about how local government can support the armed forces community, and about the wider work of RBL.
To sign up visit: Join our Councillor Network | Royal British Legion
Capital grants of £7,500 to £75,000 are available to a range of organisations for village halls in rural areas across England to enhance, upgrade, extend, improve, and construct community buildings.
Applications can be made at any time. However, projects must be completed by 31st March 2026.
The programme is funded by DEFRA and managed by ACRE with the aim of achieving one or more of the following outcomes:
Applications are open to parish or town councils that are the sole trustee of a charitable village hall. Parish councils that are custodian trustees only are not permitted to apply.
Please remember not to include VAT on eligible capital works if you are able to reclaim VAT.
Further information and guidance is available by following the link: ACRE website
As first reported in our September 2024 newsletter, SALC has identified two sector-specialist firms of solicitors that can support city, town, and parish councils with the formalities of devolution of assets & services from Somerset Council.
If your council would like further information, please email info@somerset-alc.org.uk