Explore our publications by clicking on the relevant titles.
England’s 10,000 local councils are perfectly placed to be the front line in rebuilding community cohesion in divided Britain and addressing the issues of austerity and local public service delivery. As democratic, accountable and transparent grassroots bodies, local councils can bridge these gaps by engaging with people directly in the neighbourhoods in which they live, to rebuild community and make decisions about and invest in local economic, environmental and social prosperity. Ultra-localism is the only way to rebuild community and local services in an age of division and austerity. A prospectus for ultra-localism sets out how the government and parliament can work with NALC to support local councils and help communities to help themselves.
LCR is a high-quality, glossy quarterly magazine with in-depth articles and features offering you advice and good practice, along with regular spotlights on parish and town councils and top tips information to help assist you with the real issues affecting local councils and communities.
DIS is a fortnightly publication keeping you up-to-date to with the latest news, events and funding opportunities. All coming from the local government sector.
Local Councils Explained tells you everything you need to know about parish councils in England and community councils in Wales. It contains information and commentary about the role of councils, councillors and council staff plus the legal and internal framework in which they operate. The book contains a few sample documents and standing orders, which are the internal rules for a council. This book is easy to read and is recommended for anyone with an interest in councils. It will really help those who work in or with councils. Local Councils Explained was written in 2013; there has been some new legislation since then. The standing orders contained in Local Councils Explained were updated in April 2018. Members of NALC and One Voice Wales may access NALC’s most recent standing orders by logging in to the website.
The Improvement and Development Board oversees the production of this essential guide for local councillors.
To order hard copies of The Good Councillor’s guide, local councils should contact their local county association. County association can place orders for hard copies using the order form. Non-members can place orders for hard copies at £4.99/per copy + p&p at .
To read The Good Councillor’s guide for FREE, please log in and see Development Tools.
The Good Councillor's guide to neighbourhood planning is designed specifically to help local councillors support their communities and council in deciding whether or not to produce a neighbourhood plan for their area and, if they decide to go-ahead, to guide them through the process of producing the plan and thinking about how it will be delivered.
To order hard copies of The Good Councillor’s guide to neighbourhood planning, local councils should contact their local county association. County association can place orders for hard copies using the order form. Non-members can place orders for hard copies at £4.99/per copy + p&p at .
To read this document for FREE, please log in and see Development Tools.
The Good Councillor's guide to finance and transparency is a user-friendly summary for councillors of their finance and transparency responsibilities.
To order hard copies of the guide, local councils should contact their local county association. County association can place orders for hard copies using the order form. Non-members can place orders for hard copies at £4.99/per copy + p&p at .
The National Improvement Strategy's publication Being a good employer gives practical guidance on recruiting and managing employees effectively and in compliance with employment legislation up to the date of publication.
To order hard copies of The Good Councillor's guide to being a good employer, councils should contact their local county association.
County association can place orders for hard copies using the order form.
To read Being a good employer for FREE, please log in and see Development Tools.
Points of Light is a collection of case studies highlighting the work that local (parish and town) councils are undertaking to support their communities. The 2019 edition contains 150 case studies, which includes; summaries, electorate, precept and expenditure.
A white paper on empowering and strengthening local democracy.
NALC's Annual Report, which gives you a picture of the organisation's strategic and financial development as well as the current financial position.
Digital mapping can be an easy, time-efficient and cost-effective way for local councils to map their assets and visualise the area they are responsible for. Digital mapping can be effective for; fulfilling essential legal requirements, maintaining key records, forward planning, and communicating effectively.
With this in mind, NALC has partnered with Parish Online and Pear Technology to form a toolkit to give you information about digital mapping and what it can do to help your local council.
The new edition of The Practitioners’ Guide for governance and accountabilityfor smaller authorities in England has been updated and reissued by the Joint Practitioners’ Advisory Group (JPAG).
This booklet features a series of essays by parliamentarians and other key thinkers on localism.
NALC and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Local Democracy have launched an inquiry into what is next for localism, with a specific focus on the role of local councils.
View What next for localism?
This specially commissioned report in association with Local Government Chronicle (LGC) shows that local councils are taking on services to fill gaps as principal authorities provision is cut. The report shows that local councils are taking on services to fill gaps as principal authorities provision is cut. Giving power to local people, when it’s done right, brings democracy closer to home – it’s empowering and can make for better decision-making, less disillusionment with politics and more local accountability and transparency. The report includes case studies of local council work on health and well-being, economic growth, housing and planning and devolution to the local council level.
Read Where next for localism?
This booklet has a slightly more urban slant and while aimed at a more urban audience is still relevant as a resource to all local councils. There are two brand new case studies and the booklet gives simplified explanations about the role and work of local councils and their councillors, explains the electoral process and provides a number of case studies highlighting the work of a selection of local councils.
This booklet aims at showcasing some of the brilliant work undertaken by local councils to support the needs of local people.
This booklet highlights the difference you can make by representing your community on your local council. It explains the role of local councils and local councillors and explains how you can get involved. The booklet also features the thoughts of current councillors from around the country explaining a little about why they represent their communities.
This booklet highlights just some of the innovative approaches taken by local councils to better represent young people in their local area.
In this booklet, you will find out what a local council does on behalf of local communities and people. See how they make a difference in villages, towns and cities.
This booklet explains how you can go about creating a new local council for your local area.
This booklet outlines the role of the temporary council as well as the things you will need to consider at the first meeting of the new local council.
This booklet provides an introduction to neighbourhood planning, highlighting the importance of the planning system in delivering sustainable development and the importance and influence of the local community in the process. It explains how you can get involved in local plans, giving you the knowledge and tools you need to get started. The booklet also contains a step-by-step plan of action, as well as sample local plan consultation responses, to help you maximise your influence when getting involved in local plans.
This guide provides a brief introduction to the planning system and neighbourhood planning, emphasising their role in sustainable development. It sets out some general principles for neighbourhood plans, providing a brief description of the different stages through which a neighbourhood plan goes. In addition, the guide also offers step-by-step advice on how to prepare a neighbourhood plan, including information on sustainability appraisal.
This booklet offers a brief introduction to the planning system and the planning application process. Its aim is to help you present your views on planning applications in your area appropriately, effectively, and to the right people. The guide offers information on how different planning applications is assessed, also providing sample letters and emails of support and objection to planning applications.
Where Next for Neighbourhood Planning?
This report assesses the significance of neighbourhood planning and its contribution to the national planning policy arena so far. However, its main focus is to suggest a future direction for neighbourhood planning and how the process can be strengthened. It suggests ways in which neighbourhood plans can be made more sustainable, why Local Plans should have greater synergy with neighbourhood plans and why neighbourhood plans need to remain valid in planning terms for longer time periods.
Read Where Next for Neighbourhood Planning?