Promoting and developing the work of local councils at district, regional and national levels.
Keeping you up-to-date with legislation and best practise.
Providing a comprehensive schedule to equip individuals and councils.
Formed by Parish Councils --- Run for Parish Councils --- Delivering to Parish Councils
The Derbyshire Association of Local Councils (DALC) is a not for profit membership organisation, representing, training and advising the parish (including town) councils of Derbyshire, who form the grass roots tier of local government in England.
We offer members a resource of vital, operational information and facilitate communication at all levels of the parish network - district, county, regional and national.
As a membership association we are unable to deal with queries from the public, but we are happy to make general information available through this website. Please do not contact us directly unless you are a member.
Latest News
Cybercriminals exploit Coronavirus situation
Posted: Tue, 07 Apr 2020 14:45 by Wendy Amis
AUTHOR: STUART WILBUR, MICROSHADE VSM
Microshade VSM works in close co-operation with cybersecurity experts to ensure the safety of local (parish and town) councils' data. We wish to share this information with the sector that has given to us.
Since February 2020, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has identified 21 reports of fraud where coronavirus was mentioned, with victim losses totalling over £800k. It's expected that reporting numbers will rise as the virus continues to spread across the world. More »
What are the risks?
The two most common risks are:
- Viruses — These are malicious software programmes loaded onto the user's computer without their knowledge and performs malicious actions, leading to corruption of data/files, or even altogether disabling the computer.
- Phishing — This is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and bank details by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Of the reported coronavirus related fraud cases, ten of these reports were made by victims that attempted to purchase protective face masks from fraudulent sellers. Fraudsters are also sending out coronavirus-themed phishing emails in an attempt to trick people into opening malicious attachments or revealing sensitive personal and financial details.
Some of the tactics we've identified from victim reports include fraudsters purporting to be from research organisation's affiliated with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) contacting potential victims over email. They claim to be able to provide the recipient with a list of coronavirus infected people in their area. To access this information, the victim needs to click on a link which takes them to a malicious website or requested to make a payment in Bitcoin.
What should I do next?
- Watch out for scam messages — Don't click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for personal or financial details,
- Protect devices from the latest threats — Always install the latest software and app updates to protect devices from the latest threats. The National Society for Cyber Security provides useful information on how to update your devices.
- Shopping online — If you're making a purchase from a company or person you don't know and trust, carry out some research first and ask a friend or colleague for advice before completing the purchase. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, as most major credit card providers insure online purchases. Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, has produced advice on how to shop online safely. » Less
Expected amendments to audit timelines for 2020
Posted: Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:05 by Wendy Amis
Following NALC's engagement with government around local council audit timeframes final regulations are due to be made the week commencing 6 April which will extend the statutory audit deadlines for 2019/20. It is proposed that:
- The publication date for final, audited, accounts for local councils will move from 30 September to 30 November 2020
- To give local councils more flexibility, the requirement for the public inspection period to include the first 10 working days of July has been removed. Instead, local councils must commence the public inspection period on or before the first working day of September 2020
This means that draft accounts must be approved by 31 August 2020 at the latest or maybe approved earlier where possible. More »
Authorities must publish the dates of their public inspection period this year, and the government recommends that they provide public notice on their websites (where available) when the public inspection period would usually commence, explaining why they are departing from normal practice for 2020. We will provide updates for our members once these regulations have been made. The Joint Practitioners Action Group (JPAG) will also provide an addendum to the Practitioners Guide to layout fully for councils the new time frames that the government puts in place. » Less
NALC response to consultation on extending audit deadlines
Posted: Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:54 by Wendy Amis
In response to a government consultation on whether the audit deadlines should be extended, NALC have strongly recommended a delay until the end of the year. We are awaiting the outcome of the consultation but the response can be accessed here.
