Smaller parishes Website offer now available through DAPTC
DAPTC are very pleased to announce that we have partnered up with technology company Aubergine to allow us to offer those smaller councils in our membership a very reasonably priced WCAG (Web Content Accessibilty Guidelines) compliant parish council website. To find out more about this offer take a look at the Information, Advice and Guidance section below.
Dorset to enter Tier 2 restrictions
As we are sure that you have already heard, Dorset is going to be placed in Tier 2 restrictions after the national lockdown ends on 2nd December. Please find the guidelines forTier 2 here.
Final on-line sessions in 2020:
3 December – Role of Local Councils in Planning is the second part of the trio of planning training sessions DAPTC are offering. Only TWO places available.
8 December – Meet the DAPTC team for a brief free of charge overview of what DAPTC does and how you can make the most of your membership. We will finish the session with a Q&A and will tackle any questions submitted in advance
17 December - Important Planning Concepts is the third part of the trio of planning training sessions DAPTC are offering. Only THREE places available.
Important Planning Conceptsfor more information and booking. Only THREE places available on first come, first served basis.
22 December – Meet the DAPTC team for a brief free of charge overview of what DAPTC does and how you can make the most of your membership. We will finish the session with a Q&A and will tackle any questions submitted in advance
We have uploaded a bag full of new courses for late 2020 and into 2021 and there will be more getting added over the coming weeks - so keep an eye out!
DAPTC are very pleased to announce that we have partnered up with technology company Aubergine to allow us offer those smaller councils in our membership a very reasonably priced WCAG (Web Content Accessibilty Guidelines) compliant parish council website.
For further information on the offer please click here.
If your council is interested in signing up to this offer, or hearing more pleasecontact the DAPTC office.
2. Further studies with SLCC on Community Governance
In conjunction with the De Montfort University, the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) now offer a choice of further education courses to local council clerks in Community Governance.
The courses look at the way in which people and organisations work together and independently, making decisions for the benefit of a local community. The advanced qualification is awarded by De Montfort University, a university ranked Gold under the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), and offers a Certificate of Higher Education (Level 4), Foundation Degree (Level 5) and Honours Degree (Level 6). The qualification begins in February 2021 and is a distance learning programme.
3. The Dorset Council Dog Related Public Spaces Protection Order 2020
We have been informed by Dorset Council that they have been in touch with all parish meetings, councils and towns to ensure that the appropriate signage is in place prior to the enforcement date of 1st January 2021. The order relates to all publically accessible land, not just that owned by Dorset Council.
If your council has not yet been in touch with Dorset Council with your request for what is required for your open spaces please get in touch as soon as possible with Mrs Jane Williams, Team Leader in Environment Protection atjane.williams@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
DAPTC will be working with Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to give some practical tips on how your council can help to engage your communities in the lead up to the Census going live next year.
The census takes place on 21st March 2021. ACouncillor Handbook has been created and explains what the census is all about, why it matters and how you can help spread the word in your council and community.
A poster to display in your community has also been produced, please find ithere to download and place on your noticeboards.
5. Pre-Order your new copy of Local Council Administration
The Twelfth Edition of Local Council Administration by Charles Arnold-Baker is now available to pre-order through the publishers Lexis-Nexis. The 'Bible' for all local council clerks is due for publication in December 2020 and all member councils of DAPTC will be eligible for a discount off the full price of the book which is £149.99. The discount available will be 20% taking the cost down to £120.00
The new edition has been updated to include:
• Disqualification criteria for councillors and mayors
• Further amendments to the Local Elections Rules
• New ICO guidance on GDPR for local councils
As well as providing you with this regular E-News, we intend to introduce a quarterly publication which showcases the work being done around the county by our members. Please send into us your news with a view to it being included in the publication.
We would be very happy to receive any photographs (along with your permission to reproduce them) and news articles as soon as you have them. Please send them in to the DAPTC office
NALC continues to update it's #MakeAChange campaign guidance for the May 2021 elections. To find out more, NALC have further information on their Make a Change webpage here.
On the webpage you will be able to find all new resources such as:
Posters
Flyers
Branded images
Information for prospective candidates
Suggested tweets
A local media press release
Local Council Awards Scheme (LCAS) National Panel deadline.
Applications for the next accreditation round of the national panel will need to be sent tonalc@nalc.gov.ukby 8 January 2021.
To find all the dates relevant to the national panel for 2021, they can be found here.
Webinar to be held on the Climate and Ecological Emergency consulation process
Dorset Council are hosting a webinar for towns and parishes on Wednesday 2nd December between 4pm and 5pm to focus on the consultation process of theDraft Strategy and Action Planfollowing their declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency.
This webinar will specifically focus on the consultation process, including:
details of the communication and engagement plan for promoting the consultation
how the consultation process works
how people can access the consultation
the critical role councillors can play in encouraging their residents to respond.
Please note that this webinar is to discuss the consultation, rather than the draft strategy itself. Details of the consultation can be found in the Consultations and Surveys section below.
Due to our online security requirements the webinar will be hosted on Microsoft Teams, which is easy to use and similar to Zoom. You can access the webinar via the Microsoft Teams app, or by using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (all of which are free to download from your App Store or the internet).
We kindly ask that no more than two people from each Town or Parish Council log into the webinar so that we can effectively manage attendee numbers. You do not need to RSVP.
Just click the following link at 4pm (or just before) on Wednesday 2 December: -
Get the latest news from Dorset Council, including leisure centre offers, waste and recycling, libraries and more. Sign up to their various newsletters though thislink.
Community Engagement - Website Content & Navigation
We are looking for more volunteers to join our group to help us review the structure of our content and website navigation to ensure it is user-friendly, accessible and easy to understand. Do you think you could help? To get involved and join the group, please complete our quick survey here.
Latest news from the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)
Standards In Public Life - NALC are asking for responses by 4th December 2020 at 17:00pm topolicycomms@nalc.gov.uk. Each DAPTC member council received an email direct from DAPTC with the background information and a short list of questions. The email was issued 23/10/20. More information on the consultation can be found in this briefing note.
