Leicestershire & Association of Local Councils

Annual Report of the Executive Committee 2018

(incorporating the 2017-18 accounts)

LRALC, Jubilee Hall, Stadon Road, Anstey, , LE7 7AY Tel 0116 235 3800 Email [email protected] Website www.leicestershireandrutlandalc.gov.uk

LRALC Executive Committee members

Back row left to right: Cllr John Springthorpe (Vice Chairman), Cllr Tony Hirons, Cllr Gordon Brown, Cllr Ron Simpson

Front row left to right: Cllr Gillian Hoult, Cllr Pat Crane, Cllr Guy Jackson (Chairman), Cllr Mary Sherwin, Cllr Sue Gerrard

2 Leicestershire & Rutland Association of Local Councils

Annual Report 2017-18

Welcome to what will be the last report of the Executive Committee of the unincorporated Association that was the Leicestershire and Rutland Association of Local Councils. Future reports will originate from the Board of Directors of the newly formed (23rd April 2018) LRALC Ltd. The unincorporated LRALC is in the process of being wound up.

Executive Committee members Two new Executive Committee members joined the Association in September 2017; Cllrs Gillian Hoult and Mary Sherwin representing North West Leicestershire and & Bosworth respectively.

The Association remains in a position where some LRALC Branch areas do not formally meet, which has resulted in the need for the LRALC Executive to appoint Executive Committee members for those Branch areas. Whilst this was constitutionally acceptable it was a far from ideal way for a member led organisation like LRALC to appoint those to govern the body. As such LRALC Ltd no longer includes branches in its democratic structures and governing document (its Articles of Incorporation) and instead is reintroducing the AGM where representatives from each council will appoint Directors and take other decisions.

However, the Association still actively supports and encourages branch areas to meet and discuss matters of local interest, and under the new company structure each of the 7 branch areas have a directorship position reserved for them.

The full list of Executive Committee members as at 31st March 2018 is detailed below, with additional committee memberships listed in brackets. Those marked in red ceased to be Executive Members on 22nd April on the eve of incorporation:

Name Branch

Guy Jackson (Chairman) (Investment Trustee) Blaby John Springthorpe (Vice-Chairman) (Investment Trustee) Blaby Betty Crick Charnwood Sue Gerrard Charnwood Tony Hirons (Investment Trustee) Harborough Stephen Bilbie Harborough Mary Sherwin Hinckley & Bosworth Pat Crane Hinckley & Bosworth Anne Dames Melton **Vacant** Melton Pat Thomas North West Leicestershire Gillian Hoult North West Leicestershire Ron Simpson (Investment Trustee) Rutland Gordon Brown Rutland

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2017-18 Finances The Executive Committee set a deficit budget for 2017-18 but, due to a short delay in incorporation (originally due on 1st April) and upon the advice of our accountants, the year-end accounts attached to this report include substantial income (c£35,000) to 22nd April 2018. As such, the year end balances for 2017-18 are at the highest recorded level for several years (see graph on page 4).

However, for the sake of comparison to previous years, the outturn at 31st March 2018 was a deficit was £14,567.30 but if we’d have received the LCC money it would have been £9,567.30.

The Executive Committee, at its December 2017 meeting, agreed a planned deficit budget for the next three years (2018-21) to further progress the strategic growth of the incorporated company by creating a new post of Training and Advice Manager. A combined surplus of £45,546.39 generated between 2012-2017 allowed LRALC to invest in this expansion of staffing resource. The need for an increased staff resource was identified in an independent organisational review carried out in 2016 by LCPD from Hampshire. A Medium Term Financial Plan was adopted by the LRALC Executive in December 2017 which outlined the plan to return to a balanced budget.

The contract with Leicestershire County Council continued during 2017-18 with a further £20,000 being received during the year from the County Council for specific agreed outcomes which LRALC met or exceeded (quarterly monitoring meetings are in place to ensure that the Association is delivering against the contracted outcomes). A renewed contract has recently been agreed for the period 2018-21.

The continuation and expansion of our comprehensive range of training courses offered by the Association was a major factor in us delivering our sixth consecutive surplus. Delegate satisfaction remains high and the majority of the courses proved very popular, many selling out. As a result, the training income received during 2017-18 was, once again, slightly higher than expected. This is in line with an increase in demand from councils for specialist courses as the sector experiences continuing change and expanding powers. Training is now also being offered for local council operational staff, e.g. playground inspection training for grounds staff.

The graph below illustrates the Association’s financial journey since 2005-06, with 2010- 12 being a period where several grants and other sources of external funding either reduced or ceased, resulting in the loss of a staff post in March 2012. However, with the return to surplus in 2012-13 and a dramatic increase in the proportion of self-generated income, even with the current deficit budget LRALC is in the most financially sustainable shape it has been for many years.

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Investment of Reserves A total of £60,000 of LRALC’s reserves have previously been invested in a conservative Discretionary Fund Management portfolio. The closing balance of £68,904.01 shows unrealised gains of £1,263.85 during 2017-18. This figure includes investment charges of £351.47 which had been deducted. The investment is intended to be long term, i.e. it is not anticipated that any of the invested funds will be required for operational purposes indefinitely and would only be withdrawn if the investment were at risk. The Association is very happy with the level of return on this investment, but continues to monitor the investment through an Investment Trustee Committee to ensure the money in it is managed appropriately and prudently.

Current membership Membership of the Association has increased slightly for the 2017-18 year. We welcomed four PC’s into membership; Garthorpe & Coston PC, Greetham PC, Illston on the Hill PC & and Cold Overton PC. Feedback from members remains extremely positive with the Association being seen to provide a much valued, professional service.

5 Requests for support and advice remain the “bread and butter” of the Association’s services and are increasing in complexity, scope, and urgency. Over the course of the year LRALC officers have responded to around 1000 individual enquiries from member councils. Some of the queries were simple questions and others, as always, were more complicated and required more detailed and comprehensive assistance. The ongoing supplementary legal and HR support offered by Roger Taylor of Wellers Hedleys and Chris Moses of Personnel and Advice Solutions remain a valuable source of support and advice for LRALC member councils, and the new provision of a VAT advice service commissioned by LRALC with The Parkinson Partnership, headed by Steve Parkinson, whom many of you will know from his previous role as the SLCC’s VAT adviser.

LRALC Strategic Plan 2017-20 During 2016-17 the Association developed its second Strategic Plan. Progress is moving ahead at a steady pace with many of the objectives being either in place or firmly in the development stage, i.e. the LRALC Internal Audit Service and the Councillor mentoring Scheme.

NALC Cllr John Springthorpe continued to represent our membership at National level and is the Association’s National Council member at NALC.

Federation of Associations of Local Councils (FEMALC) FEMALC is a constituted grouping of County Associations (CALCs) comprising Derbyshire, , Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Rutland and Northamptonshire and was created in 1999. Together these Associations represent some 1,054 town and parish councils throughout the region with an electorate of some 1.3 million.

The LRALC representative on FEMALC is Cllr John Springthorpe who represents member councils at regional level.

The LRALC Chairman and Chief Officer are the nominated FEMALC representatives to attend meetings of East Midlands Councils (EMC); EMC represents the interests of councils in the East Midlands to Government and national organisations.

Training Core training (delivered by LRALC officers) for councillors and clerks remained a key priority with most planned training courses being very well attended. During the year 14 councillor sessions were run with approximately 157 members receiving training. These included Councillor’s and Chairman’s courses. We have also seen an increase in requests for in-house councillor training and the new hour long briefing session covering the Framework for Councillor’s Conduct and Interests has proven very popular too and will be extended to cover a range of other topics suitable for a 1-hour briefing.

Alongside this training for elected members LRALC officers also delivered 6 core training sessions primarily aimed at Clerks which comprised a combined 57 bookings taken for Clerks 1, 2 and 3 training. Core training courses will continue to be developed and delivered by the Association in line with demand and capacity.

6 Training materials including course content and handouts are due to be reviewed and updated in the coming months to refresh the content and ensure the courses remain current.

Specialist training courses The training programme was again extended to include a variety of courses and briefing sessions facilitated by external specialists. These courses were added as a result of member feedback, including in the Member Satisfaction Survey (due to be run again later this year) which identified areas where training was required. These new courses include:

 Granting, Exercising and Transferring Rights of Burial  Procurement Training  Allotment Management Training  Appraisals Training  Emergency First Aid at Work

Smaller Authorities Transparency Fund The final year of the Transparency Fund, available to smaller (sub £25k) Leicestershire and Rutland parishes, saw £36,771.11 in grants being passed on to qualifying parishes. During the lifespan of the fund LRALC secured a total of £106,315.44 for member councils from the Transparency Fund.

NALC have reported that Leicestershire and Rutland come in at 12th out of 42 County Associations in terms of one of the amount of money secured for local councils in its area. LRALC managed to get 61.4% of eligible councils to apply for funding.

Local Council Award Scheme (previously the Quality Council Scheme) One more Council achieved a LCAS award during the year. The low take up of the scheme is to be addressed during 2018-19.

Stoney Stanton PC FOUNDATION

We would like to place on record our thanks for the LCAS Panel Members who volunteer their time to assess applications. The Panel as of 31st March 2018 consisted of:

Name Role Tina Britt 2Commune Ltd Sarah Carter Leicestershire County Council Andrew Ellis Parish Clerk, TC Andrew Granger Leicestershire Rural Partnership Hannah Surtees Ex Town Clerk, Lutterworth TC

Qualified Clerks A further 10 clerks achieved the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) qualification which brings the total number of passes achieved in Leicestershire and Rutland to 85 as at 31st March 2018; 53 of these are current clerks or deputy clerks in the area. More and more Councils are including the requirement to hold, or be willing to train to achieve, this qualification when recruiting a new clerk. It is pleasing to note that LRALC has one of the highest pass rates in the Country according to NALC statistics.

7 Staffing matters Your Association had a staff resource amounting to 65 hours per week until 30th October 2017 when the appointment of Frances Webster as the Association’s Training and Advice Manager increased this to 95 hours per week.

As Training and Advice Manager, Frances has already played a key role in the development of the member advice service and has assisted with the growth and development of the Association's training function. This is an exciting time for LRALC, and Frances’ appointment marks an important new chapter in the Association's development.

The Association office opening hours remain as previously; 8am until 1pm on Mondays and Thursdays and from 8am until 2pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, queries placed through the online member support system are often dealt with outside these hours as well as an officer does not have to be in the office to receive and deal with them. We would strongly encourage council queries are placed through this system.

Retained specialist advice Towards the end of 2012-13 LRALC entered into agreement with two commercial partners, one a firm of solicitors, Wellers Hedley, the other a firm providing specialist HR advice (Personnel Advice and Solutions), to provide an additional layer of support to our members. These agreements have been renewed each year since then as they continue to be of benefit to member councils. A welcome addition to the offer comes in the form of a VAT advice service which is delivered through The Parkinson Partnership, as mentioned earlier in this report.

Guy Jackson Chairman

8 APPENDIX 1: MEMBER COUNCILS

Ab Kettleby Parish Council Anstey Parish Council Appleby Magna Parish Council Arnesby Parish Council Asfordby Parish Council Ashby de la Zouch Town Council Ashby Magna Parish Council Ashby Parva Parish Meeting Ashby Woulds Town Council Ashwell Parish Council Bagworth & Thornton Parish Council Barkby & Barkby Thorpe Parish Council Barkestone, & Parish Council Barlestone Parish Council Barleythorpe Parish Council (Interim Council) Barrowden Parish Council Barrow-Upon-Soar Parish Council Barwell Parish Council Belton in Rutland Parish Council Belton Parish Council Belvoir Parish Council Billesdon Parish Council Birstall Parish Council Bitteswell with Bittesby Parish Council Blaby Parish Council Bottesford Parish Council Braunston in Rutland Parish Council Council Breedon on the Hill Parish Council Broughton & Dalby Parish Council Broughton Astley Parish Council Bruntingthorpe Parish Council Buckminster Parish Council Burbage Parish Council Burton & Dalby Parish Council Burton on the Wolds, Cotes & Prestwold Parish Council Burton Overy Parish Council Cadeby Parish Council Caldecott Parish Council Carlton Parish Council Parish Council Charley Parish Council Clawson Hose & Harby Parish Council Claybrooke Magna Parish Council Claybrooke Parva Parish Council Coleorton Parish Council Cosby Parish Council Cossington Parish Council Cotesbach Parish Council

9 Cottesmore Parish Council Countesthorpe Parish Council Croft Parish Council Croxton Kerrial & Branston Parish Council Desford Parish Council Dunton Bassett Parish Council Town Council East Goscote Parish Council East Langton Parish Council Eaton Parish Council Edith Weston Parish Council Ellistown & Battleflat Parish Council Elmesthorpe Parish Council Empingham Parish Council Enderby Parish Council Exton Parish Council Fleckney Parish Council Foxton Parish Council Freeby Parish Council Frisby on the Wreake Parish Council Frolesworth Parish Meeting Garthorpe & Coston Parish Council Gilmorton Parish Council Glen Parva Parish Council Glenfield Parish Council Great Bowden Parish Council Great Casterton Parish Council Great Easton Parish Council Great Glen Parish Council Greetham Parish Council Grimston, Saxelby & Shoby Parish Council Groby Parish Council Hallaton Parish Council Hathern Parish Council Heather Parish Council Higham on the Hill Parish Council Hoby with Rotherby Parish Council Hoton Parish Council Houghton on the Hill Parish Council Hugglescote & Donington le Heath Parish Council Huncote Parish Council Hungarton Parish Council Husbands Bosworth Parish Council Ibstock Parish Council Illston on the Hill Parish Council Kegworth Parish Council Ketton Parish Council Keyham Parish Meeting Kibworth Beauchamp Parish Council Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council Kilby Parish Council

10 Kimcote & Walton Parish Council Kirby Bellars Parish Council Kirby Muxloe Parish Council Knossington & Cold Overton Parish Council Langham Parish Council Forest East Parish Council Leire Parish Council Lockington & Hemington Parish Council Long Whatton & Diseworth Parish Council Lubenham Parish Council Lutterworth Town Council Manton Parish Council Parish Council Market Overton Parish Council Markfield Parish Council Measham Parish Council Medbourne Parish Council Misterton with Walcote Parish Council Morcott Parish Council Mountsorrel Parish Council Mowsley Parish Meeting Nailstone Parish Council Narborough Parish Council Newbold Verdon Parish Council Newtown Linford Parish Council North Kilworth Parish Council North Luffenham Parish Council Town Council Oakthorpe, Donisthorpe & Acreford Parish Council Osbaston Parish Council Osgathorpe Parish Council Packington Parish Council Peatling Magna Parish Meeting Peckleton Parish Council Queniborough Parish Council Quorndon Parish Council Ratby Parish Council Ratcliffe on the Wreake Parish Council Ravenstone with Snibston Parish Council Rearsby Parish Council Ridlington Parish Council Rothley Parish Council Ryhall Parish Council Sapcote Parish Council Scalford Parish Council Scraptoft Parish Council Seagrave Parish Council Seaton Parish Council Shackerstone Parish Council Sharnford Parish Council Shearsby Parish Council

11 Sheepy Parish Council Town Council Sileby Parish Council Smeeton Westerby Parish Council Somerby Parish Council South Croxton Parish Council South Kilworth Parish Council South Luffenham Parish Council Sproxton Parish Council Stanton under Bardon Parish Council Parish Council Stoke Golding Parish Council Stoney Stanton Parish Council Stoughton Parish Council Stretton Parish Council Sutton Cheney Parish Council Swannington Parish Council Swepstone Parish Council Swinford Parish Council Town Council Theddingworth Parish Council Thrussington Parish Council Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Council Thurlaston Parish Council Thurmaston Parish Council Thurnby & Bushby Parish Council Tilton on the Hill & Halstead Parish Council Tugby & Keythorpe Parish Council Tur Langton Parish Council Twycross Parish Council Twyford & Thorpe Satchville Parish Council Ullesthorpe Parish Council Uppingham Town Council Waltham on the Wolds & Thorpe Arnold Parish Council Walton on the Wolds Parish Council Whetstone Parish Council Whissendine Parish Council Whitwick Parish Council Willoughby Waterleys Parish Council Wing Parish Council Wistow & Newton Parish Meeting Witherley Parish Council Woodhouse Parish Council Worthington Parish Council Wymeswold Parish Council Wymondham & Edmondthorpe Parish Council

Total: 191 Local Councils (including 1 Interim Council) and 5 Parish Meetings with full fee paying membership

12 APPENDIX 2: NON MEMBER COUNCILS

Essendine Parish Council Gaddesby Parish Council Little Casterton Parish Council Lyddington Parish Council Snarestone Parish Council

Total: 5 Local Councils

13 APPENDIX 3: ACCOUNTS

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