ESALC is pleased to work with a number of associates with expertise across various topics beneficial to local councils. See below for further information and please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to engage the services of any of our colleagues:
Business Consultant and Mentor – Chris Dowling
Chris is available to add to ESALC’s support services, specialising in business planning and management issues. Chris has owned and run a family business/ SME for all his working life. In addition, he has extensive knowledge of local government and understands the processes, the people and the important work that parish and town councils provide to their communities.
Communications and Local Councils – Mandy Jameson
Effective communication with residents is vital to a council’s business and can make the difference between a disgruntled or satisfied local community.
For towns or parishes seeking advice on their comms and engagement strategy – social media, website, resident surveys and local press/media – expert help is at hand.
Mandy Jameson offers advice tailored to your council’s needs: guidance on how best to gauge residents’ views, efficient use of resources and maximising reach to ensure that communications land successfully.
Emergency & Resilience Planning, Water Compliance and Project Management – Dee Thornton
For the past 10 years, Dee has leveraged her knowledge as a Water Compliance specialist to help councils reduce costs by insourcing their compliance, particularly for Legionella Compliance L8 ACoP. She has also been tasked with developing and implementing Emergency and Resilience Planning to support Parish Councils and their residents, while Cat 1 and 2 responders focus on larger, critical tasks. Additionally, she can assist with project management in areas such as playground development, landscape design for public spaces, and successful New Homes bonus schemes.
Mediation – Sue Simpson
Sue is a retied Solicitor and Planning Inspector and is an accredited Mediator. She has worked extensively with Town and Parish Councils and has first hand experience of issues/problems that may arise and require her skills as an impartial, empathetic and confidential mediator.
Planning Support – Steve Tilbury
Our experienced planning associate, Steve Tilbury, has a wealth of knowledge which he shares with members through our interactive planning training sessions. Steve is also available to offer training to individual councils on a bespoke basis by arrangement. If you have a planning issue or problem in your parish on which you would like some initial advice Steve can provide this to member councils.
Tech-related training for Clerks – Clare Lucas
Clare is a multi-award-winning business owner, speaker, trainer and experienced parish clerk. She empowers clerks with free tech tools to transform how parishes operate – sharing essential knowledge and practical tips to help clerks thrive in communicating effectively with their parish. This includes training in Canva, Trello, Mailchimp and ChatGPT.