The County Association recommends that all parish councils employ a qualified clerk or enable their clerk to train to obtain the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) and attain at least the Foundation Stage of the new Local Council Award Scheme.
Any council achieving both of the above can demonstrate that it can provides quality services and perform effectively and efficiently.The new scheme will contribute to the national reputation of local councils demonstrating achievements and a commitment to improvement.
The new Local Council Award Scheme will be a three tier approach with councils of any size aspiring to an award appropriate for their budget and level of activity.
Foundation
The Foundation award is for councils who want to show they meet a set of minimum standards to deliver effectively for their communities. To meet this award the council demonstrates that it has the required documentation and information in place for operating lawfully and according to standard practice. The council also has policies for training for its councillors and officers and so has the foundations for improvement and development in place.
The Foundation award allows a council to benchmark its performance as well as challenging them to consider their continuing development and improvement.
Quality
The Quality Award demonstrates that a council achieves good practice in governance, community engagement and council improvement. Quality councils go above and beyond their legal obligations, leading their communities and continuously seeking opportunities to improve and develop even further.
To achieve the Quality Award a council demonstrates that it meets all requirements of the Foundation Award and has additional evidence of good governance, effective community engagement and council improvement. Due to the level of this achievement, a council with a Quality Award is eligible to use the general power of competence.
Quality Gold
The Quality Gold Award demonstrates that a council is at the forefront of best practice and achieves excellence in governance, community leadership and council development. Quality plus councils provide leadership for their communities, bring people together, have excellent business planning processes, ensuring value for money as well as constantly seeking new innovations and opportunities to improve. They highlight the very best we, as a sector, can achieve for our communities.
Further details of the revised Certificate in Local Council Administration will be added to this page when introduced in April 2015.