Our participation inquiry 'Strengthening the role of local councillors' found that creating unitary councils could strengthen and clarify local democracy and accountability, helping rural local government to punch its weight with city-regions and regional bodies.

The inquiry's final report recommended a structure of new unitaries working closely with a renewed network of empowered parish and town councils.

There's a lot for parish and town councils and their County Associations of Local Councils (CALCs) to gain from early engagement in the unitary council set-up process.

Together with NALC we've produced information & guidance to help councils engage with unitary authorities:

• Good Beginnings: Securing Effective Engagement for Town and Parish Councils

• Securing effective engagement for parish and town councils with unitary structures and processes

• Service Delegations to Parish and Town Councils: Guidance note

• Clustering by Parish and Town Councils: Guidance Note

We're also producing a checklist which will be available soon

In February 2007 we began our inquiry into strengthening the role of rural councillors, exploring the opportunities and challenges for rural councillors in bringing decision-making closer to their communities.

We wanted to help rural communities have greater influence over local decisions, by supporting local councillors to become better democratic champions acting on behalf of their communities.

One of our inquiry's recommendations was a structure of powerful new unitary authorities serving their communities, so we welcome these new councils. We believe that unitary authorities will strengthen and clarify local democracy and local accountability.

But they have to work closely  with a renewed structure of empowered and influential parish and town councils. We've undertaken a study into how parish and town councils can secure effective engagement in the unitary process, which will produce:

• a ‘how to’ checklist for parish and town councils  on making sure they have a say in the setting up of new councils

• technical guidance on service delegation and clustering

We'll launch the technical guidance at a national seminar for the County Associations of Local Councils that took part in the research and the three ‘amber light’ unitary areas of Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk.

The 'how to' checklist will be published during the summer. We'll publish both here on our website.

We're delighted to be working with NALC to hold a number of feedback sessions at the events, providing updates on the progress made in taking forward the findings and recommendations of our Participation Inquiry.

We made a number of recommendations to government about how rural councillors can be supported to deliver the government’s ambitions of strong local democracy and empowered local decision making. These directly informed the government’s white paper Communities in control: Real people, real power.

Visit NALC's website to find out more about the events

We're delighted to be working with NALC to hold a number of feedback sessions at the events, providing updates on the progress made in taking forward the findings and recommendations of our Participation Inquiry.

We made a number of recommendations to government about how rural councillors can be supported to deliver the government’s ambitions of strong local democracy and empowered local decision making. These directly informed the government’s white paper Communities in control: Real people, real power.

Visit NALC's website to find out more about the events

We made a number of recommendations to government about how rural councillors can be supported to deliver the government’s ambitions of strong local democracy and empowered local decision making. These directly informed the government’s white paper Communities in control: Real people, real power.

NALC's regional Stepping Stones events will also share good practice and provide regional networking opportunities for councillors and officers of all tiers of local government. They'll also  provide an opportunity for newly established local councils and principal authorities to learn more about the work and capabilities of the parish and town council sector.

Visit NALC's website to find out more about the events and to book your place

Today we're delighted to welcome the update to the national Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme, that plays an important role in achieving our ambitions. Our recent participation inquiry into strengthening the role of rural councillors showed there is much that is healthy and right in our local democracy in rural England, with many examples of strong local leadership, proactive town and parish councils and effective community engagement.

The Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme is an important way to build on this positive foundation, and is an important tool in delivering the government's ambitions for community empowerment in rural areas.

As one of the six national partners of the scheme, along with NALC, CLG, Defra, LGA and SLCC, we're pleased to support its update and recognise the important role the parish and town council tier play in a strong and effective local government.

Find out more about our particpation inquiry

Read our article in the latest MJ magazine about the role of rural councillors

Hosted by the University of Gloucestershire, the event will follow the launch of a new professional body, the Institute of Local Council Management, on July 8.

Crispin Moor, Director of our Whitehall office, will be speaking at the event about the recommendations from our inquiry into strengthening the role of local councillors.

Read Crispin's speaking notes

We warmly welcome the Government’s intention to publish a Participatory Budgeting National Strategy and their ambition to see all Local Authorities using participatory budgeting by 2012.

We've followed this developing area of Government policy with interest and are pleased that in piloting approaches to participatory budgeting it has included rural local authority areas.

At the ACRE Rural Life Conference 2008 we led a workshop on participatory budgeting, encouraging delegates to think about how the principles of participatory budgeting could be applied to setting and agreeing budgets in rural areas, at both parish and town council level and higher tier authorities.

Read the speaking notes from this event

Between February 2007 and January 2008 we undertook a national inquiry to explore the barriers and challenges that inhibit rural communities having greater influence over local decisions, and local councillors from becoming stronger democratic champions acting on behalf of their communities.

Participatory budgeting principles have good potential to help local communities and their elected representatives have more influence over how their local taxes are being spent and become more active in local decision making and service delivery. 

Read our full response

Find out more about our work on Rural Governance

We also welcome new powers for councillors to call for local government matters to be refered for consideration by the overview and scrutiny committees of their local authorities.  

Over the last year our inquiry into 'strengthening the role of local councillors' has explored the barriers and challenges that inhibit:

• rural communities having greater influence over local decisions
  
• local councillors from becoming stronger democratic champions acting on behalf of their communities

Our inquiry  found that many people feel no connection with their local authorities and local councillors. Levels of engagement, interest, participation, and connection between local rural people and their councillors are low. 

We want local government to have greater autonomy and clearer areas of responsibility and flexibility to deliver services and policies that meet local circumstances.

We'd also like a clear commitment to a statutory, constitutional application of subsidiarity. And local government devolving more services, resources and powers down to parish and town councils.

Read our full response to the consultation

The findings and recommendations of our inquiry 'Strengthening the role of local councillors' made a powerful case for government to extend more trust and responsibility to local parish and town councils, particularly Quality Parish Councils.

A strengthened parish and town council tier will encourage greater connections between people and their local authorities.

We want to work with central and local government to take our recommendations forward, particularly the Councillors Commission which will reconvene later in the year to review progress and next steps on improving the role of locally elected councillors.

Crispin's article explains the reasons behind the inquiry and presents its recommendations for helping make citizens more fully engaged in local decision-making, enhance the democratic role for rural communities and create a stronger, more effective voice for local councillors.

Read the full article

Find out more about our inquiry

Download the inquiry report and recommendations

We hope the report's recommendations will help make citizens more fully engaged in local decision-making, enhance the democratic role for rural communities and create a stronger, more effective voice for local councillors.

Download the report
Read the full press release

The report's recommendations include:

• local government should be supported and encouraged to create neighbourhood budgets and involve local people in spending decisions

• central government should meet the costs of local elections in all tiers

• strong push toward more elections in parish councils rather than co-options

• the creation of powerful new unitary authorities

• Local Strategic Partnerships and Local Area Agreements, supported by central and local government, should clearly commit to supporting parish and market town plans

We're looking forward to national, regional and local stakeholders' involvement in helping take forward our findings.  We also hope our report will add further momentum to the work of the Councillors Commission.

We want to work with CLG and continue working with LGA, NALC and others in taking these recommendations forward.

The event will be chaired by Sarah Montague, presenter of the Today Programme. Delegates will be able to join chaired discussions and debates with our Inquiry Panel and a range of local government experts.  We hope the conference will be the start of some interesting, challenging and fruitful discussions!

The two venues, Church House and The Alnwick Garden, will be joined up by live video link and the event is open to all and free to attend. Please book your place by Friday 26 January.

Full programme and booking form

Our inquiry has gathered evidence from local councillors, formal local partnerships, community groups, local authority officers and a range of international, national and regional government representatives.

Using this evidence we've produced a set of recommendations which will support government efforts to give local councillors and communities greater influence over local decision-making. 

We look forward to seeing government responding positively to theCouncillors Commission's recommendations.

Our Participation Inquiry visited many rural communities to learn about how the role of local councillors can be strengthened to help achieve more for rural people. We've held useful discussions with Dame Jane Roberts and her commissioners during this period.

We will be reporting our conclusions and recommendations in the new year ─ bringing national, regional and local stakeholders together to discuss our findings. 

We hope our inquiry report will add helpful momentum to the positive steps the Councillors Commission has set out.

A member of our 'Strengthening the role of rural councillors' inquiry panel will be speaking at the event about the findings of the project.

For more information visit the NALC website