Jonathan Owen Chief Executive 11 October 2014 IMPROVING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TOGETHER!

First Six Months at NALC My background Out and about Listening and Learning First impressions: diverse, committed, passionate First impressions: up for the challenge, enthusiastic to deliver Great opportunity – Fresh Start

About NALC Strengths Influential – role on Government’s Partnership Board Committed councillors, eager for change Quality services Small HQ - £1m (70% affiliation fees, 30% income) 14 Staff. Great partners in CALCs Improvements Communications Are we providing the right services? Engaging councillors and CALCs in policy making and lobbying Customer focus Develop partnerships including CALCS & Society of Local Council Clerks

A New Future: NALC’s strategic plan Three clear priorities To deliver quality services to member councils and county associations To create new councils and grow membership To promote and represent the sector effectively.

Value for money services Build on what we have legal topic notes 700 Legal queries dealt with High quality publications: Local Councils Explained, Audit Practitioners Guide 60+ press releases a year, twitter reach of 200, Consultations responded to last year 100 Ministerial and other meetings Excellent conferences too Improvements Review our services to ensure meeting new needs Promote improvement and development Consider new ones Procurement/Employment/ planning/ ICT advice? Larger towns offer Audit- sector led body New website – digital first

New councils- a growing sector campaigns underway Nearly all CALCs receiving funding for outreach work First Create a Council week held 5 new councils created (Whitehaven last week) Next steps Deliver 2015 programme Persuade Governments to continue campaign Core cities? Unitary Government? Membership pack and benefits for existing councils

5 New Councils 5 Petitioning 27 Campaigning 94 Considering 1.Queen’s Park 2.Chadwick End 3.Badgers Mount 4.Penrith 5.Whitehaven 100 Communities, ½ m people

Priority 3 – A Strong National Voice Lobbying successes All parties committed to localism Finance: referenda principles, council tax support scheme – but more to do Cheque reform Electronic agenda National media coverage (see next slides) Need your help Next steps Focussed manifesto with clear objectives Increase understanding esp around finance Extend influence across Government, with parties and think tanks Build sector’s reputation Campaigning together – local, regional and national advocacy

Communications! Communications! Communications! Need to raise understanding of sector, what it does, how it is changing and its potential to support devolution Engage media more in all our work Publicise examples of good work and achievements by local councils Use new media to engage with different people and encourage councils to do so too Get our stories across effectively at all levels – local regional and national We need your help!

Love your parish council Sunday Times, 27 April 2014

Challenges ahead Delivery! Localism, devolution, services council elections - and supporting new councillors 2015 national elections and ensuring role, profile and influence of local councils enhanced Building capacity and skills – local council award scheme Working together / clustering to improve local communities.

New Opportunities too The Scotland result and the English Question New constitutional settlement for the UK? Greater devolution to cities and regions? Parish and Town Councils (and community councils in Wales and Scotland) must be included too. NALC manifesto: Stronger Local Democracy NALC manifesto: Fairer funding NALC manifesto: More powers

What will Local Councils/ Local Government look like in 20 years? Change will happen! The world wide web only started in the 1990s will be a very different place (perhaps even broadband will be sorted by then!) How do we need to prepare for the future? – only adaptable structures will prosper. What skills will we need? How do we get more people engaged?

Long-term challenges £12bn funding gap for local government by 2020 Councils will half in size over next 10 years What will happen to non-statutory services? 110,000 people will be over 100 years old in 2035 – the Palace will be sending out a letter every 5 minutes (currently every 36 minutes) Devon 850,000 by 2035 (ONS projection) Cars? Climate change? Average age of first-time buyer already 35

Ways forward? Shared services – 337 councils already share service. Larger unitaries? Closer working with other agencies – health etc. Digital first? Devolved services Emphasis on prevention Building and empowering communities Less Government? Stronger communities?

Implications for parishes? Universal parishing - for fairness? How do we need to change? Do we want to change? Can we fill the gap? Is there the appetite? Do we need to work together more? Clustering? Can we build communities to help themselves? “Our Place” Use of new technology – electronic voting, on-line meetings? Smart phone decision taking? New funding streams – crowd funding, social enterprises etc. A great opportunity? You decide!

Devon’s views? What are the issues facing councils and Devon ALC? What should we pressing Government on? What would you like to see NALC doing differently. What do you think parishes will be doing in 2040? Above all a big thank you! For listening today and for contributing to and influencing NALC’s work. Together we can achieve even more!