Local Government Awards - do they give councils carte blanche to ignore some elements of due process in finances?

Question

Could someone explain to me as a former councillor the actual advantages in the management of its finances by a parish council that has gained the first stage of the Awards? What financial or other benefit does a council which has qualified for the first tier of the Local Council Award Scheme get and how are they applied before, during and after council meetings? These NALC Local Council Awards seem to be some kind of nebulous nonsense which are paid for out of public funds to boost the egos of councils that feel they can rest on their laurels and big themselves up once they have received the award.. When our PC got the first tier award the Chairman claimed that thanks to the award the council wouldn't need to be constrained by the need to follow certain of the rules governing some of its financial business/transactions, and that the  need to abide by for example the strict S137 regulations wouldn't apply to our PC any more. Payments could be made in a simpler, more streamlined manner which would make the job of the Clerk/RFO easier and involve less red tape for the councillors to address.Achieving the Award appears to be being used by our local PC as a means of by-passing all the elements of due process and is used as a kind of catch all short cut so that any/alll financial invoices etc appear on agendas to be paid out at the meeting without any information or discussion about them having being minuted as having taken place prior to them being rubber stamped. Any attempt by a resident to get clairty or a detailed ruling from the Clerk is treated as vexacious and denied. I cannot find any exact explanation about how/if the awards benefit councils or how if they do get the award how it is applied and minuted so that the auditor and residnets are made aware of their use by the Clerk/RFO  during council meettings. I've asked our Clerk/RFO to give me chapter and verse on how the Award afftects the working of the council with especial reference to any changes to the rules governing its financial business as a result of receiving the Award, but apparently as a resident (also an elector and taxpayer) I am not on the need-to-know list, and have been again accused of being vexacious, so my queryy won't be answered..

Answer 1

There seems to be confusion by either the Chair or yourself over General Power of Competence and the Local Council Award scheme.

The Award Scheme is like a quality standard that reassures residents (or not as the case may be) that the council has the appropriate procedures and policies in place to demonstrate that it is run legally and transparently.  This has nothing to do with finances and spending.

General Power of Competence comes in when 2/3rd of the councillors are elected and the clerk is appropriately qualified and allows the council to spend more widely to benefit the parish.  Those councils who do not meet the qualification criteria, have to spend within s137 financial limits on items that are of direct benefit to the parish.

However, neither the award scheme or GPC changes the manner of financial management or reporting.  All councils are required to follow the guidance in the Practitioners Guide that is based on legislation - this has no connection with either of the two items above.

Comments

Thank you so much for explaining the confusion - where can I find a copy of the Practitioners Guide you refer to above?

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https://www.nalc.gov.uk/library/our-work/jpag/4040-practitioners-guide-2024/file

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THANKS AGAIN