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
Clerk and Chair Forums this Wednesday 11th August
Posted: Mon, 09 Aug 2021 10:38 by Wendy Amis
Our clerks and chairs forums are taking place this Wednesday. The joining links have been sent out in the newsletter. If you haven't received your copy, please contact the office on admin@derbyshirealc.gov.uk and we will send you a copy.
Be prepared... for home-working requests
Posted: Tue, 22 Jun 2021 14:28 by Wendy Amis
As more council staff return to the workplace, our HR expert Chris Moses has advised council management teams to be prepared to deal with requests for 'home-working'.
'More and more Council offices and facilities are continuing to reopen, and more workers are returning to them,' says Chris.
'However, it's not business as usual. Many Councils are looking to hybrid, flexible approaches and offering a mix of office and home-based working. The overall impression during lockdown is that Employees have shown themselves to be trustworthy and hard-working while working at home.' More »
Recent research has found that one in five employers is planning to introduce hybrid working following the pandemic. The survey found that two-thirds (65%) of Employees expect to work from home at least two days a week, while almost a third (31%) believe that a return to five-day office working will not happen at all. The study also revealed that the shift towards a more hybrid working model is being driven by younger workers, with three-quarters (75%) saying they expect to work remotely at least two days a week.
There have also been calls from the Labour Party to introduce legislation to enable workers to make such requests.
Chris advises: 'In response to this pressure Councils may need to plan their 'future workplaces' with home working being an intrinsic element, requiring the Council's management team to consider how they support remote workers.
'However, there are pitfalls. Some HR experts believe that Employees are at their most creative at random moments such as at a chat in the office kitchen, and that you can't easily replicate these serendipitous moments on Zoom and, there is a thought that in time Councils will suffer from this lack of new free-flowing ideas and innovation.
'There is also concern that younger workers were missing out on key professional development opportunities with many working from their bedrooms.
'Flexibility and hybrid working is also becoming a significant issue for Councils who are recruiting, with many find that enforcing a full-time office culture is unpopular with recruits and resulting in recruitment difficulties. Potential recruits may now be used to the benefits of working from home, including easier childcare, a better work-life balance and cheaper travelling costs.
'Many Councils and staff now have this insight into what real work-life balance can look like and there might be more reluctance to simply going back to how things were before the pandemic.' » Less
COURT orders return to "physical meetings" from May 7th.
Posted: Wed, 28 Apr 2021 17:23 by Wendy Amis
Following a ruling in the High Court this afternoon (April 28th), physical meetings of parish and town councils must re-commence from May 7th.
Cllr Sue Baxter, chairman of NALC, responded: "I am extremely disappointed that the application to the High Court regarding remote meetings has been dismissed.
"All councils must now return to holding physical meetings from 7 May. This includes around 2,000 local (parish and town) councils with elections who must hold an annual meeting in May following those elections. More »
"Such physical meetings, to which all members of the public are entitled to attend, will result in both a health risk given the current pandemic and significant additional costs incurred by councils in securing suitable venues which allow social distancing and other safety measures.
"Over the last year, the ability to hold remote meetings has delivered extensive benefits including leading to increased participation and engagement by members of the public with their most local council and the decisions they make about their local areas from tackling climate change to improving health and well being and the provision of highly valued local services.
"Given the government's apparent support for allowing remote meetings, including their evidence to the Court Hearing, I am appealing to ministers to pull out all the stops over the coming days and weeks to introduce the necessary primary legislation. The Scottish and Welsh Governments have already passed legislation to allow for remote meetings and I urge the Government to follow their lead."
The full court judgement can be read here
Read the Lawyers in Local Government/Association of Democratic Service Officer press release here. » Less
