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I have only just become a Parish Councillor but have discovered a number of discrepancies which I am not happy about.  We are just trying to agree the Budget but a Member of the public has questioned the Clerk CiLCA  training earmarked from the 24/25 Budget @ just under £5000.  I have checked and the part of the  CILCA  course we should pay for is 60 hours @ £780 for the year but this has somehow been overlooked before my time and 364 hours have been passed.  ( Not yet spent as she hasn’t done the training) What can I do this is morally wrong and costing my residents about £3000 more than it should be.  Now I see the Clerk has put into the current budget a huge NI Contribution to cover these hours. Can I object or override these decisions which are clearly an error. It appears the Chair makes the decisions and everyone just goes along with it.
by (140 points)

2 Answers

0 votes
It does seem a little excessive but in the first instance, I'd check what was actually agreed.  If the training hasn't started yet, it seems reasonable to check the calculation going forward.
Having undertaken the qualification myself, albeit some years ago, there is a cost to register for the course. a charge for any actual training incurred including any residential elements (if applicable) and then of course there are the hours necessary to complete the course.  It's a portfolio based qualification which means the clerk needs to complete and submit work, not just attend training sessions.  Some thought needs to go into whether the clerk will complete that work within his/her working hours or in addition to the normal working hours and if your clerk works for other councils, then a discussion on splitting the cost should take place.
The change to national insurance rules sadly is going to hit all but the very very smallest of parish councils as a result of a government ruling that even parish councils must comply with the change.  A combination of the reduction in the threshold for paying employers national insurance and the increase in rate means smaller parishes who have not had to pay this before must now do so.  Parish councils, as a local authority, cannot claim employer allowance but the government, which has confirmed that higher tier authorities are to compensated for the increase in employer national insurance, has said the compensation will not apply to town and parish councils.  It's hit a lot of councils and of course their electorate quite hard.
I'd suggest a review of how that calculation has been made rather than a witch hunt about the value of the qualification if at all possible.
by (22.0k points)
I so much agree with the final sentence of DBWs reply.  In my opinion supporting an employee to gain a qualification should be seen as an investment as much a a cost.
As an aside 60 hours x £780 (when also accounting for employer's national insurance and pension contributions) is less than minimum wage.
Thank you fr your reply it is not a witch hunt but my fellow councillors seem very reluctant  to give me answers on how the calculation was made. I  am totally in favour of education but this really seems like an excessive mistake.  I have checked with CILCA and it about six times the hours they recommend. You can understand my concerns.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to question any expenditure you do not understand.
0 votes
If the hours required for training previously agreed can be shown to be erroneous resulting in a significant over estimate of hours required, it is wholly irresponsible of the RFO to compound that previous error (especially if it is now a 'known' error) by seeking to attribute NI to a known erroneous allocation of training hours.

Step 1 - re-visit the actual costs and hours required to complete the qualification

Step 2 - If a previous error is found upon examination, ensure it is properly recorded and redressed.

Step 3 - calculate salary and NI costs at the appropriate number of hours.
by (24.8k points)
Thank you for comments , I thought I was correct but doing the right thing is hard
Life unfortunately is hard and even harder when you encounter others who feel that the rule book is not there for them. Never lose sight that as a parish councillor that you and all councillors are responsible and answerable for how taxpayers money is spent. Unfortunately too many take a leaf out of central government attitudes when they look upon taxpayers money as theirs to do as they wish. How any MP's comply with the Nolan principles? So when at the end of the year you are asked to sign off the auditors report don't forget you can refuse and ask for the vote to be recorded.Just a thought

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