Still no news on virtual meetings after 7th May, but there is great news for Dorset as a county in terms of connectivity!
As I digested my breakfast cereal today, BBC News featured the latest wave of funding for superfast broadband and 5G technology. A number of counties were mentioned at the front of the queue and that included Dorset. I know some members have struggled with virtual meetings because of broadband issues - hopefully these areas known as 'not spots' might gradually get mopped up and improved. It is though acknowledged that some locations will remain difficult to fix due to cost. Read the BBC article.If your community has been successful with the digital voucher scheme in recent months I'd love to hear how it's gone and what the process was like signing up - just drop DAPTC an email daptc@dorsetcc.gov.uk
Opening Up Dorset for Summer - I've just been contacted by Dorset Council who are looking to engage Chairs and Clerks on the likely challenges as we head towards Easter and the Summer months. Look out in your inbox for an invite to a briefing soon.
Last week I reached out for guest bloggers to talk about either their role in council life or projects and initiatives being driven forward in your communities. Thanks to those who have taken up the challenge of drafting a short article, more offers are very welcome - these will appear soon on our website.
This request follows on from short appearance on BBC South where I was asked to comment on the recent publicity afforded to Handforth Parish Council. I was keen to demonstrate how much our members deliver in their communities and often how that great work goes unnoticed, hence a need to shine a light on it. Let's get it out there!
If, however, you do want a slice of Jackie Weaver look no further than our training section below.........Until then, keep smiling....
Neil
Please forward this update to elected members so they can also keep up-to-date and have an appreciation of what's happening in the sector.
INFORMATION | GUIDANCE | ADVICE
Don't forget to check out the links to Dorset organisations in the Other News section at the bottom of this newsletter, they are updated regularly.
1. Marie Curie National Day of Reflection 23rd March 2021
The National Day of Reflection, led by end of life charity Marie Curie, is set to take place next week on Tuesday, March 23rd, the anniversary of the UK going into the first national lock down. Click herefor more information.
2. Are your council members Charitable Trustees?
Amanda Crocker, the clerk at Bere Regis Parish Council is interested to hear from any councils where your members are Charitable Trustees or where your council is responsible for the running of a charity. If you have any information that you are happy to share with Amanda please contact her direct here.
3. Is your council situated next to Heathland?
Firewise UK is hosting a free webinar on wildfires, which may well effect you if your council is next to heathland. Wildfire is an increasing threat and Firewise here in Dorset, along with the Urban Heaths Partnership, is trying to address this.
Firewise is running an on-line webinar event between 3pm and 4pm on Wednesday, April 28th 2021 to help provide you with some useful information. Please see further details on the event and information on how to register here.
4. Clarification on the procedure for removing a Councillor from a meeting for disorderly conduct.
If you require clarification on the procedure to follow to deal with a councillor's disorderly conduct during a meeting, please take a look at the advice on the subject from DAPTC here.
5. Changing Places toilets fund
On 4th March the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government(MHCLG) announced a new £30 million fund for the installation of Changing Places toilets. This funding is being distributed through principal councils and town and parish councils interested in installing Changing Places toilets are being recommended to get in touch with their relevant principal council to register interest in working in partnership to deliver a Changing Places toilet in your venue/building.
6. Planning for both Annual Council Meetings and Annual Parish Meetings
The on-going restrictions due to COVID-19 are proving to be a little tricky at this point for local councils and are making it difficult to plan Annual Council Meetings and Annual Parish Meetings. We are hoping that the Government will do ‘something’ to enable virtual meetings to continue beyond 7th May ’21, but as we stand today there is nothing certain.
At the moment there are two options:
1. Bring forward your meeting dates for both ahead of 7th May and run them virtually or;
2. Run them after 7th May and ensure your face to face meetings comply with the prevailing government guidance on safe spaces for COVID19 (see Current NALC Advice and keep checking)
If you have a preference for face to face then you will need risk assess, ensure staff are safe and make provision in the venue. Please find here the government guidance for the safe use of council buildings which you will hopefully find very useful. COVID-19 Guidance for the safe use of Council Buildings
Our advice is to bring the Annual Council Meeting forward of 7th May to get essential business concluded and hold fire on the Parish Meeting as although that normally has to be done between 1st March and 1st June, there aren’t any meaningful consequences of falling outside of that, so this could be delayed until social distancing is eased.
Places are available on the courses during March and April:
25th March daytime course - Neighbourhood Planning - Practical Tips
A few places are available to book on the above training. Most of you will be currently devouring in bite size chunks the Dorset Council Local Plan and as such, this training might be of interest. Whether you have a plan and are refreshing it or embarking on a new plan – this session will prove highly beneficial. To find out more jump over to our TRAINING PAGES.
25th March evening course - Public Speaking for Councillors - New One Off Course A few places are available to book on this new course from Breakthrough Communications to help support those who might chair councils or committees or who regularly speak on behalf of their community. This is a one off in 2021 so don't miss the opportunity to get great insights, tips and tricks and making your address hit the mark! BOOK HERE
31st March from 3pm - FREE NATIONAL WEBINAR ON CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS Our training partner Breakthrough Communications would like to offer a FREE webinar on Crisis Communications for parish and town councils, with Jackie Weaver as the guest panelist.
In this free webinar the panel will look at how councils can start to prepare for future crises that may arise, how to manage them effectively from a communications perspective when they happen, and what to do afterwards. A recording of the session will be available to all afterwards. Please note that even if you can't attend live, if you register for the event Breakthrough Communications will be happy to send the recording after the session has taken place. Please register for your free place today here.
15th April daytime course - Advanced Social Media skills for individual Councillors - New One Off Course - ONLY 10 PLACES AVAILABLE When it comes to social media, change is the only constant. With new platforms, features and ways to reach out and engage with your local residents and community groups, it can be hard to keep up as a Councillor. This advanced session walks you through a range of advanced strategies, tools and techniques to keep you at the forefront of digital engagement with your community. BOOK HERE 21st April daytime course - DAPTC - what we do
There is still time to book your place to jointhe DAPTC team for this FREE OF CHARGE session to help new and existing Clerks, elected members and prospective councillors understand how we support members in Dorset. Neil, Debbie and Lisa will be on hand to talk you through the resources available and an overview of the Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils (DAPTC) and how we link up with National Association of Local Councils (NALC), Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP). BOOK HERE
26th Aprildaytimeandeveningcourses available - New Councillor Induction
New Councillor Induction training for new elected / co-opted councillors is now being run regularly by DAPTC. The induction programme includes a combination of engagement activities, e-learning and a short webinar for the cost of £35/delegate.
The programme should give new-to-role councillors a good introduction to parish and town life.
Newly elected or co-opted councillors can choose the most convenient way to join us to help build their knowledge.
1. Councillor attends their first council meeting or committee.
2. Councillor attends online the 'What We Do' drop in session with DAPTC that
explains how we can support them going forward (this is optional and free)
3. Councillor enrols for the e-learning module 'Introduction to Local Councils'
4. Councillor attends 'New Councillor Induction' which offers a chance to ask questions and sense check impressions and understanding from 1, 2 & 3 above.
We hope the above programme helps clerks and chairs get their new councillors hitting the ground running. The cost per delegate is £35 which includes a 90 minutes webinar (4) and the e-learning module (3).
Limited places available on Year-end accounts and audit training in March:
Wednesday 31st March 10-11.30am
Wednesday 7th April 10-11.30am
Thursday 8th April 10-11.30am
Tuesday 20th April 10-11.30am
Don't forget - these Finance courses are run nationally for clerks and councillors across the country by our training partner The Parkinson Partnership and so they fill up fast!
The CiLCA Portfolio Guide 2021 has been updated. Take a look at the guide for more information on how the qualification is now administered and what subjects are included in the qualification.
NALC's dedicated Coronavirus webpagenow includes updated information on the possibility of the return of face-to-face meetings, suggestions to help prepare, risk assessment considerations and some tips to help manage remote meetings.
NALC Launches new guide on Cyber Security
This guide aims to help local (parish and town) councils and their councillors better understand the importance of cyber security and provide practical advice on how they can minimise risks to the council. The publication features information on how to understand the most common risks such as phishing, viruses, loss of data and how some simple steps can help ensure that the council's information and equipment can be protected. Click here to download the new guide.
There are now a number of NALC publications available for download from their website, including seven Good Councillor's Guides on a number of topics including Finance and Transparency, Community Business and Being a Good Employer. You can take a look at the documents available on the websitehere. If you require the NALC website password for Dorset please contact your Clerk.
NALC Star Council Awards 2021
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has announced that it is once again running its awards programme this year as part of its work to recognise the local (parish and town) council sector’s achievements.
The Star Council Awards are the only awards in England to recognise and celebrate the local council sector’s brilliant contribution to its communities. Therefore, the awards are an excellent opportunity for councils, councillors, clerks, and county associations to showcase how they have made a real difference locally.
Following an unprecedented 2020, the theme for this year’s awards will be projects that have positively impacted communities in the context of COVID-19.
The five award categories are:
~ Clerk of the Year ~ County Association Project of the Year ~ Young Councillor of the Year ~ Councillor of the Year ~ Council of the Year
NALC will announce the winners at an online ceremony in September.
NALC Rebuilding Communities On-Line Training The next session will be an event on the power of a local (parish and town) council and community business partnership, taking place on 29 April 2021. Click here for more details.
Dorset Council's Draft Cultural Strategy
Many local parish and town Councillors and Officers attended the virtual consultation meeting which was hosted by DAPTC on behalf of Dorset Council on 28th January. There has now been a follow up consultation session held on the 23rd February with Councillors on the People and Health Overview committee. The full strategy will now go to the full cohort of the People and Health Overview committee on the 4th May and then to Cabinet on the 18th May. You can read theDraft Cultural Strategy here.This version remains a draft / work in progress document and is not the final document.
Better Days - Day Opportunities and Support - Survey
Dorset Council Adult Social Care and Services are keen to hear from you if you use the following services:
Get the latest news from Dorset Council, including leisure centre offers, waste and recycling, libraries and more. Sign up to their various newsletters here.
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.
Vaccination Role out
More than 330,000 COVID vaccine doses have been given now in Dorset. This video produced by Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group shows the incredible effort across Dorset to achieve this. You can view the Dorset CCG Vaccinations page here for further here.
Through our partnership with Dorset CCG, the communications team have asked that we share the attached social media assets which can be used on your website and social media profiles.
