Should Parish Councillors have access to NALC resources if the Parish Council do pay a subscription

Question

Although a Cllr for some time we find ourselves always having to rely on our clerk for answers on regs relating to Parish Council business, as opposed to being able to self source or validate via NALC resources.  Should we have individual access to these resources?

Answer 1

I believe that anyone can now request access directly through the new NALC website.

Answer 2

Typically you can access NALC resources on the web if you are a councillor whose council is subscribing to the local LCA. Your clerk should distribute the login details to serving councillors. You will not be able to ask questions though. That is a major reason for the creation of Councillor Q&A!

Comments

It is the Council who is the member not the individual Councillor. I like to think I had some say in the decision  to make NALC passwords available. I resigned when our clerk refused to give me one . Apparently when the clerk was approached by the Chairman she allegedly said if you force me to hand it over I will resign and get your PC blacklisted with my agency as we don't fill vacancies' at "troublesome Councils",  After that I must have sent 100 emails to anyone who would listen and sought comment on why a clerk should regard for example LTNs as "privileged information".  Very few replied (especially NALC) but clearly someone listened . As regards personal enquiries most county associations will only deal with the Clerk or Chairman as the is usually only one member of staff

Answer 3

You can access all NALC info if you google it should you have trouble getting it from the clerk

Answer 4

Until recently, the NALC (and county associations) website functionality only supported a single user login per council.  This, inevitably was vested in the clerk.  

It is however patently obvious that individual Cllrs should be able to access the resource documents and information available by dint of the council's subscription.

I personally battled, over several years, and successive clerks, and the ALC, to insist that the password / login be made available to those Cllrs that wanted it.  

The root of the problem was 2 fold - firstly, the inadequate functionality of the NALC website to issue more than 1 user login per council and second, the propensity of (successive) clerk's and the ALC to treat the access to information as a privilege vested solely with them (knowledge is power.)  There is a third element of course, the majority of Cllrs being disinterested in actually advancing their own knowledge and happy to rely upon the guff they were fed by the clerk.

Thankfully, and long overdue, the NALC website upgrade now facilitates individual Cllr login rather than a single council login which required the breach of IT procedure in the 'sharing' of a single login between multiple users.

The NALC login now facilitates individual Cllr logins - if your clerk doesn't know this (or doesn't want YOU to know this) I'd suggest your problem is with the clerk rather than the ability to access the info.

https://www.nalc.gov.uk/resource/everything-you-need-to-know-about-our-new-website-launch.html#:~:text=What's%20new%3F,tools%20will%20streamline%20membership%20management.

  

Comments

Mixed feelings over this. I was recently registered for a local association course without my knowledge or any prior conversation with the councillor who booked me on the course via the LA website. I'm sure it was done with the best intentions, but having a single person (the clerk) with authorisation to carry out such tasks can help avoid overreach by councillors. I'm reasonably easy going and did the course to keep the peace on this occasion, but it wasn't particularly convenient or welcomed.

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Having yourself booked onto a course committing your personal time and resources by (I'm presuming?) another Cllr, is an entirely different situation.

The point under discussion is Cllrs having direct access to online resources without having to go via a 3rd party - surely there can be no mixed feelings about that?

If somebody booked you onto a course without your prior knowledge (and the council's endorsement if costs were associated) is a personal failing and overreach on their part.

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I'm merely pointing out that, in my view & from experience, unrestricted access has its own issues in relation to the roles of councillor and clerk, which shouldn't become blurred.

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Cllrs ‘should’ be willing, able and keen to access all resources that will improve their knowledge and ability. There is no place for a clerk ‘filter’ to be imposed upon unfettered access to source document authoritative reference resources.
There’s no blurred’ line!

Answer 5

The Clerk has no right to refuse you access to a resource which is paid for by the residents.

The fact that they have the nerve to do  so indicates that your council is dysfunctional as the Clerk has too much power and seeks to prevent Councillors from gaining knowledge  

In my experience this is because the Clerk is worried that their performance might be questioned