Minutes from 22nd January 2024

East Sussex Association of Local Councils Limited

Minutes from the Board Meeting

To be held at Heathfield Community Centre

Monday 22^nd January 2024 at 10.30am

In attendance:

1. Apologies for absence

Apologies were received from the Marquess of Abergavenny, Dr Alex MacGillivray and Councillor John Barnes.

• Minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the previous meetings held on 23^rd October and 14^th November 2023 were accepted as a true and accurate record.

• Financial update

The Chair reported that as at 31^st December 2023, £61,802 was in the CCLA account, £6,540 was in the NatWest current account and £12,142 was in the reserve account. The Chair anticipated another £15,000 would be spent in the next quarter so he predicted a small surplus for the year which was as expected. He did not see a need to increase ESALC fees for 2024/25.

A conversation ensued about what the reserves could be spent on and a discount on training or help towards clerk retention was discussed. The Chair also discussed troubled Councils and what additional assistance ESALC may be able to offer. He suggested a finance committee with one member from each DALC should be formed and they could discuss use of the funds and report back to the Board.

The CEO said that each year up until the pandemic, he had tried to offer something new which added value to what ESALC offered as a benefit to members. He suggested resurrecting a newsletter and used the Isle of Wight’s newsletter as a fantastic example.

Councillor David Young raised the issue of potholes and green initiatives as a major concern for councils.

With regards to clerk retention, Councillor Keith Robertson suggested face to face informal clerk meetings may help spot any early warning signs from clerks who may be unhappy, and would also help with clerk isolation. The CEO made reference to the Clerks Forums which are regularly held as well as regular face to face meetings arranged by SLCC.

The Chair spoke about the home allowance for Emily Simpson and the Board unanimously agreed to pay £300 for 2023/24.

• DALC Finances

The Chair spoke about LDALC’s banking issues and lack of access to finances. As a result, it was agreed to pay the annual salary for the LDALC Secretary. It was also agreed that EASLC would help DALC’s with finances where necessary, up to £1000.

• Police update

The CEO advised that the Police and Crime Commissioner election would be in May 2024. With regards to focus groups, he said there were 14 cluster groups and they last met in November. The next set would most likely be in May 2024. He said that Mandy Jameson who helped to coordinate these was resigning from the PCC and therefore the future of the focus groups was not certain. Councillor Moss said that the CSAGS had also been cancelled.

The CEO said he had a meeting with the Clerks from Polegate, Hailsham, Crowborough, Uckfield and Heathfield, along with Superintendent Jim Collen and Inspector Jo Atkinson. Dissatisfaction hinged on the fact there was a lack of clarity over data handling and data governance from the police. The outcome of the meeting was that a specialist firm appointed by ESALC would support the five towns. It would take approximately 2 hours per month and the councils would pay for it, but coordinated by ESALC.

• New model and template contract of employment

The Chair said the new model had been released by NALC in collaboration with SLCC. He specified it was for new employees and that nothing needed to be done for existing staff. Councillors could of course look to see if they felt anything should be added to any existing contracts.

• NALC Update

The Chair said job evaluation, hours and paygrades were being assessed, also in collaboration with SLCC.

NALC was also working with the LGA and other parties to encourage employment within local government. This would include democratic officers as well as clerks and help with clerk retention.

The Chair also spoke of the Office for Local Government which had been set up to collect data from county, borough and district councils and it aimed to spot any trends of councils running into trouble. He said if parishes could get the funding, county associations along with clerks and the chair would have to collect the data.

• CEO update

The CEO spoke about clerk retention and said that when a vacancy arises, most councils wanted an experienced clerk which then increased clerk salaries and priced many councils out of the market.

The CEO spoke further about the newsletter and suggested that Mandy Jameson from the PCC’s office who had journalistic experience might be suitable to produce the newsletter. The Chair suggested a trial year-end newsletter to see how it was received. A conversation ensued about how the newsletter would be circulated and whether or not clerks would pass it on to their councillors. Marion Shepherd DL raised a concern that it was a good idea but was concerned it would be the same people contributing content every time. As part of a strategy working group, improvement in communications could be discussed.

• Transport for the South East

The CEO advised that both Hugh Merriman and Rupert Clubb had been invited to attend today’s meeting but neither had responded. David Young suggested Claire Dowling should be involved and the Chair said Keith Glazier should also be invited to the next meeting. A lack of funds for road safety was discussed and the CEO said that parish councils had the power to contribute towards Highways matters in terms of making the roads safer.

It was agreed that both Claire Dowling and Keith Glazier should be invited to a public meeting in Uckfield where road safety, road improvements and what parishes can do to help would be discussed.

Action: Emily to invite Keith Glazier to discuss strategic options and Claire Dowling – circulate a date.

1. District Association updates

The Chair said LDALC had scheduled to meet on 12^th February and the first item of business would be to elect a Chairman.

The Chair said WDALC met last week and the main topic was the Local Plan which was being released today. He advised it would go to Full Council on 8^th February and would then go out to consultation for 8 weeks from mid-March. A review of sports hubs and climate change plan and a parish conference on 14^th March had also been scheduled. The main items would be Civility and Respect and the Local Plan. He advised there was a group against overdevelopment in Wealden and a meeting was due to take place but they cancelled it at the last minute. This would now take place on 31^st January in Horam.

Councillor David Young reported that RALC held a Parish Conference before Christmas and said it was well attended by clerks and chairmen. Working together with the District Council as well as climate change was also discussed. A meeting with the District Leader and CEO of Rother also took place which he said was productive. Councillor Keith Robertson added that a new Secretary had been appointed. The District Council was being transparent with their finances and the relationship seemed open and honest. Councillor David Young said a clear strategy and direction was needed and said the newsletter might help on this front.

1. Any other matters raised by the Board

The Chair mentioned the Local Plan in Wealden and said some District Councillors were sending a note out about the Plan from the Alliance Group. He said it would be sensible for ESALC to send a reminder about political content ahead of an election.

Councillor Keith Robertson said if a clerk leaves on bad terms or if a clerk goes on sick leave unexpectedly, the handover is often not smooth, and can take a long time to recover from and get back on track. It was suggested that a policy on recommendations in the event of such a handover could be introduced.

With regards to banking, Keith Robertson said the concept of what parish councils do was still not recognised by many banks which caused a lot of issues. He wondered if a score system could be implemented where those with better services would be graded more highly. The Chair said that NALC and UK Finance and a number of banks were in talks to try to change how parish councils are viewed and to understand their needs. Barclays were currently the bank leading the conversation but said a section on the leading banks would be included on the new NALC website shortly.

1. Date of next meeting

TBC