hi,

Hi Morag

You can access the Be a councillor webpage here: https://www.local.gov.uk/be-councillor

I cant hear the speaker?!

Not sure how to do that !

HI HOW DO I GET MY NAME UP?

Hi Ken, I’ll message you privately

hover over your picture, you will see three dots. click on that and you'll see rename

Or Right click on your picture and look for 'rename'

I will message you separately to show how you can do that :)

Morag Malvern Wokingham Town Council

Just click on participants at the bottom of the screen and change your name.

Will we receive a copy of the slides?

who is Margaret J Wheatley please? credible source?

Hi Hannah, yes the slides and links will be sent in a delegate mailing after the event

Great. Thank you

https://margaretwheatley.com/

How much damage has been done to the cause of Parish Councils by the recent nonsense in Cheshire?

The truth is there is a massive lack of diversity in parish and town councils. Where are the BAME Cllrs? Disabled Cllrs? LGBT+ Cllrs? Economically disadvantaged Cllrs?

(I ask that as an openly gay man. But I often feel very much in a minority.)

If you dont have a massive set of diversities in your town you concentrate on what you have. Most people are struggling to live and work and dont have the time. They see it as the oldies are the only ones that have the time. how do we persuade them otherwise ?

Witham Town Council now has an LGBT ambassador and hopefully we will encourage all people to become councillors

By the way, I'm working with NALC in regards to LGBT+ representation on PC's and TC's.

More info coming soon.

Loretta, apologies if not the case...But that sounds like an excuse not to even try.

Great to hear, Susan!

I wondered how long it would be before that embarrassment of a parish council was mentioned.

How would you suggest that we get the information out there? We have a parish newsletter but how do we network with our residents apart from that?

I’d love to get more information out to my residents but not everyone on the PC feels the same!

Mathew Hulbert. I spend ages trying to get people to stand at local elections.

Online. On Twitter, Facebook, virtual meetings.etc.

Great to hear Loretta.

We have suggested councillor surgeries but with the current lockdown rules we can’t do that.

check me out on all those platforms

Me too.

We have tried these with little success, coffee mornings work but cannot do these at the moment

we at Woughton community council in Milton Keynes, we have, since last march as zoomed and live stream ALL our meetings and we have done a Friday update, again live on Facebook and we have had 20,000 views with residents and hope we can still have that level of engagement after lockdown ends

Not all our residents are connected to social media platforms, what else can we do?

When not in Covid times, hold in person public meetings.

Most people seem to like the idea of not having to come out at night but be able to watch on screen.

As our umbrella organisation, NALC continues to be seen as setting an example. For the past three years, I have been encouraging use of inclusive language (e.g. gender neutral 'Chair' rather than 'ChairMAN'), without success.Is this a place to start making a change? Is there a need for this to be prioritised at NALC level, as much as it is within local councils? Model standing orders, for example....?Whilst this may be a small thing, it sets a tone. And that is important.

There are LGBT+ people in every single community!

We should absolutely be using gender-neutral terms.

My experience as a Councillor, and as a current Candidate, is that local parties are terrible at understanding that one size does not fit all. There is an assumption in local politics (where people are usually volunteers) that people have endless time. Little/no consideration is given to those who work, have childcare issues (especially single parents!) etc. I'm committed but even so find it incredibly demoralising to always be the one saying we need to be *actively* inclusive.

We held mock elections in our academies to encourage youth interest in local council

Yes and some f them are really good friends of mine here ! They just dont have the time at the moment as they are trying to keep their heads above water. I have been told that in two years at the next elections we will have a lot more people standing. Fingers crossed

I am sorry but not everyone wants to be gender neutral. This is a small point but valid I feel.

Wokingham Town Council had pupils from the local schools attend meetings and take part giving their input.

Well, Doreen, we should always be respecting people's preferred pronouns. It's about basic manners and respect.

And this is the choice we have - we can be inclusive, or exclusive. If we decide to remain exclusive, then diversity won't happen.And I'm not telling anyone to be gender neutral, I'm suggesting that we should enable people to be involved, whoever they are.

Absolutely, Steve!

Yes it is, I agree Matthew but you can’t assume everyone has the same viewpoint. I feel that it should be a choice.

I fear some don't want to be inclusive!

I have been trying to encourage people who wouldn’t normally stand. In Calne Town Council, I proposed that we don’t just put information on the website or in the notice boards because young people won’t look there. We have recently started filming videos about what the council do and what it means to be a councillor. This also helps those members of the community who struggle to read and therefore would normally be excluded.

Digitally isolated is a huge consideration

Sounds great, Samuel!

Brilliant Samuel

Here's the link to what Samuel said Calne TC are doing https://www.calne.gov.uk/become-a-councillor/

Filming videos is a great idea! Recently NALC released some videos highlighting the great work that our councillors are doing. You can see them on our website here: https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-work/local-elections

Absolutely, change is coming...whether people like it or not.

Being able to attend a meeting and then put the kids to bed afterwards really helps

Council terminology is creates barriers

The problem is people see local councils as institutions and who wants to be in an institution ? Change that thinking and you will get people invested. We are very lucky where we live that everyone is very interested in what our council does. We are very engaged with our local people. We have now at least 4 councillors under 50 !

We are non political thank goodness !

I live in a commuter town and people do not get back in time for meetings

How do we encourage economically disadvantaged people to stand? (I say that as a working class guy myself.)

Is 'Parish' Council an issue? Is that a barrier with connotations to church? Should we 'rebrand'?

"Town" sounds very formal, "Parish" a little quaint. I think a move towards "Community Councils" would help with inclusion and engagement

HELLO

Hello Angela.

The current covid regs allowing virtual meetings concludes on 7th May (I believe) - what is the current position on this please in terms of lobbying Govt for continuance of this. It is such an inclusive means of engagement for younger people (generally)

I think, given recent viral events, we do need a rebrand.

You can see the campaign that Nick is talking about here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/free-open-wifi-network-connecting-communities-during-covid-19

NHS shows how it can be done INFO needs to be seen on the streets- roads / public transport showing examples of local council working for the community

How do councils stand on blended meetings from a legal standpoint? I think it offers great benefits in terms of inclusivity but if Councillors attend digitally, are they classed as present and eligible to vote for example?

EALC has recommended remote meetings to continue after 7th May

We are a town and therefore the use of it in the name is important to the residents.

you don’t need party infighting at local level

Inclusion is not an illusion.

Councils and councillors need to have a thorough understanding of the geography and demography of their area.

Let's be blunt...some folks are closed off to the idea of encouraging diversity. Sad but true.

Independent candidates should be introduced as another example of having an input in the community

Do you think Parish Councilers should be paid? Can people aford to join a Parish Council.

so I am a female under 50 children with special needs and no matter who you are background its good old fashioned talking and honest talking and listening to the community you wish to serve

Well said, Angela.

Lisa here's the update from last Friday's Chief executive's bulletin: NALC is continuing to work with a range of national bodies, including the Local Government Association (LGA) and Lawyers in Local Government (LLG), to press for the facility to meet remotely to continue after May. It featured as the centrepiece of this year's NALC Lobby Day, and thanks to county association and council colleagues for contacting their MPs on this matter. Ministers have confirmed they have heard the messages. Last weekend's Sunday Telegraph story, Jackie Weaver phenomenon forces Ministers to make parish council meetings by zoom permanent, suggesting that the government may consult on this. Nonetheless, while there is continuing uncertainty, NALC's advice is that councils should now be preparing for the real possibility of a return to face-to-face meetings. NALC has produced guidance to assist with these preparations on our dedicated coronavirus webpage, where you can also find guidance on how to hold effective remote meetings

It doesn’t cost anything to sit in the council chamber and debate so why should we be paid? We can claim reasonable expenses if we travel. Training courses are paid for

yes, parish/town councillors should be paid and/or allowed to claim an allowance (I know legislation already allows for this). But to claim the allowance and not feel guilty about it. allowances may be needed to pay for child care, taxi, buses etc to allow participation

There is a Community Council for Somerset. there would be too much confusion

Childcare and dependence allowances for local councillors? Happens at principal level, Happens in Wales. Not lawful at English local.

Well said, Rebecca.

Wow! didn’t realise that political parties took money back from their councillors. I am an independent district councillor so I only pay tax t HMRC !

Maybe a way forward for the future of local democracy is for experience councillors to have a shadow candidate sitting with them learning the game

^^^^ excellent suggestion

Bit lost on this tariff how or what is it please

Allowances are allowed Steve but many are not aware of it and/or do not claim. An allowance could form a large percentage of the total precept for a small council and thus, councillors are reluctant to claim but that is discriminatory in its self

I did that 6 months before our last election I took them old papers and chatted through. There re a lot of us that are already engaged in this sort of work. We just dont advertise it !

Do we have to mention Cheshire :)

part of the lack of understanding is that the whole country does not have parishes, especially in urban areas - would be easier if whole country was parished.

We have a lot more interest in our meetings since the viral meeting

And we are in Cheshire!

agreed interest has increased enormously since digital

You can apply for expenses for childcare, but that's too simplistic an answer... also can lead to embarrassment and shame. Same as claiming for IT expenses etc. It's easy to make people feel 'othered' by having very reasonable needs to get the job done.

At Woughton community council we are looking at having a Youth council project and chair of that will attend full council meeting. but not started yet due to co vid

If you are just sitting in a meeting, you are not doing much. You need to be working by attending other meetings etc

Allowances are allowed. Childcare and dependency allowances are not. This is discriminatory and exclusionary. And impacts most on women.

You make them feel welcome by greeting them on arrival and asking questions and introducing the rest of the council

People can feel very intimidated about attending a Parish Council meeting

Surrey ALC is keen to encourage us to change from Parish to Community Council, we will ask our residents what they want.

We have done some publicity in the parish to inform that we aren’t the church, we are a civic council, and people are more interested in what we are doing now. For the first time we have four interested parties in our vacancy

at Clevedon we have a marked increase in visitors to the Council meetings . the impact is that we have vacancies at the moment with 10 candidates.

We have launched on Facebook more actively and this has helped a lot with understanding and engagement

How many town and parish councils consider nutrient neutrality in building applications?

What is nutrient neutrality please?

Totally agree Mathew!

expel in our community rely on us, heir elected representatives , to do what is good for them. If anyone asks me a question I try to answer within 24 hours. Not always possible but at least I acknowledge the question. If people know you are willing to help them then they are interested in what you do. We have always had people at our meetings and now they are following us on screen. Hope this continues once we are back .

I chair planning for Cirencester and can confirm we examine applications fir materials and sustainability extremely carefully. We have a 'green to the core' policy - also an AONB.

Nutrient neutrality is a means of ensuring that development does not add to existing nutrient burdens and this provides certainty that the whole of the scheme is deliverable in line with the requirements of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017

Can we have access to some examples of other parish councils ways of engaging with community ie Facebook, newsletters etc

My experience is that generally Cllrs are focussed on the services they provide or want to provide and critiquing services provided by other authorities / parties - not engaging with their public.

Thanks, Rachael.

Thank you Steve, we have that in our Neighbourhood Plan I believe.

We are not the footsoliders! this is all about sharing of power.

Look out for news re an LGBT+ network/group soon.

We will share the chat in the post delegate mailing :)

The one good benefit of digital is that constituents can watch the programme at a later time and see the debate. It gives them the opportunity then to ask questions.

We should make more use of Public Participation sessions - perhaps even having dedicated sessions that are less intimidating than Full Council meetings

I think time commitment is a barrier and being able to continue holding virtual meetings after 7th May would be very useful as it may attract younger residents with small/young children

I've got to head off to another meeting now. Thanks, NALC, for this event. The start of an important conversation.

Great idea Robin, I will suggest that to my fellow councillors

The Borough Council act like Parish Councilers are full time and paid.

From Len RogersHow much has the 2011 Locality Act increased the power or influence of parish and town councils?

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Chelsea

That is rubbish I am from the same council and am disgusted at these comments. She is included in everything so this is all completely untrue.

Councillors need to be actively nurturing their own replacements

well said Chelsey

Thank you for your suggestions. As clerk I am going to suggest a public (online) meeting where people can come and hear about the work of the Parish Council. Not a Parish Council meeting which can be rule bound but a chat session so that everyone can ask their questions.

Yes Chelsey! Definitely!

So very well said Chelsea!

Chelsea. Well done! You are a breath of fresh air !

Well said Chelsey

I feel the same Chelsea

*Chelsey

Oops chelsey

100% agree Chelsey

oops from me too Chelsey

well said Chelsey , and its always the same people talking . Something I’m trying to change as Chair but doesn’t go down well with some.

I’m with Jenny - I’ve been on a Parish Council for 18 months now and it’s taken it’s time but we’ve just sent out a survey for more community engagement to understand what people actually want us to spend money on.

perishing ?????????? explain please

oppsss Parishing

Does this not open up the discussion about training for Councillors not only about their roles but also about being an employer.

re engagement - anyone doing participatory budgeting? Means of asking the people how and what they want the money spent on

I agree with Bob - politics just doesn't work at this level

Agree Bob

Our parish council is non political and has always been.

Ours too

Our Parish Council is non political too.

No politics in our town council I’m a district councillor and an independent in a Lib Dem council. It’s frustrating !!

In my experience, PCs tend to be apolitical, but town councils aren’t. It may be down to how often these councils hold elections. Quite often, PCs barely get enough candidates to fill all the council places, but town councils tend to have more applications.

Great Bob where is your area/parish

We have built in training expectations into our Committee Terms of Reference, for key elements. It works well

Unfortunately training isn't mandatory so many Councillors simply won't attend.

I'm totally in favour of 'Independents' on Parish Councils (Finchampstead parish Councillors all stand as Independents) - and I say that as Chair of a Constituency Political Party

Surrey ALC runs excellent training courses which are very well attended.

learning and opportunities must be made available at different times of the day not just 9-5.....sorry Peter!

Do let us know what you think of today’s event!

The survey money link is on the screen now

Councillors to Ciren Town Council are elected on a party ticket, but we then work collaboratively cross party as an apolitical organisation.

Thank you all - very interesting (Clerk)

great talk, more please!

Thank you everyone

fantastic event, really thought provoking

Thanks - great event

thank you

Thank you everyone!

Thank you 😊 I really enjoyed this event

And thank you Peter!

Can the survey link be put in the chat? I don't have my phone handy for the QR code.

Thank you everyone - very interesting event.

Thank you very helpful and interesting

Thanks so much; fascinating.

Thank you.

Thank you

Thanks to all the speakers

Do have a look at the Nalc website for more upcoming events!

Thank you all.

Thank you . Great debate

thanks all :) cllrchelseyjay@gmail.com if you want to network

Thanks everyone for coming, shout out to our speakers, sponsors and our brilliant host Peter