NORFOLK PTS

Many councils either have a finance committee or one or two nominated councillors that assist the Responsible Financial Officer with preparing the budget each Autumn for the following financial year.

If you are new to this process or would like to pick up tips on what's required/what to look for/questions to ask during the budget-setting process, then this course is for you.

Could your agendas or minutes benefit from a refresh? Do you always know what to include or what to leave out? How about meetings, when should you chip in and where does your involvement end? This course will help with all of these and more.

Our chairs' networking sessions are a forum to talk to others in the same role to sound out ideas and ask us for support. These informal sessions have received fantastic feedback so if you are a chairperson or vice-chairperson and would like to connect with others with the same role, join us!

Understanding how the planning system operates and routinely considering planning applications are key responsibilities of parish and town councils.  We look at the process from both the parish/town council and district/borough council perspective and how to manage the expectations of the public who are likely to attend our meetings.

Two-part course for Councillors: 11 & 18 January 2024

Understanding how Parish and Town Councils work and your role and responsibilities is not easy, particularly if you are new to local government. This induction course explains the legal framework giving you the confidence to take a full part in your Council and make a difference in your local area. 

You'll be taken step-by-step through the process of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for your parish. We'll look at the advantages of having a Neighbourhood Plan, the stages for producing a plan, and the time and resource commitment required.  This course includes a case study example of a Norfolk village Neighbourhood Plan – what has worked and what hasn’t.

Every local council must have an internal auditor: someone who is independent of the management of the council and competent to carry out the role.  This role has become significantly more important for ‘exempt’ councils: those with a turnover under £25,000. 

If you've been a councillor for a while and feel you could benefit from an update on your role, responsibilities and what's new in local government, this course is for you (even if you didn't attend our induction course first). This councillor refresher course explores key topics in detail to help you feel more confident in your role. 

Two part course taking place on 8  and 15 February online

You've been to many meetings in your working life but how are local council meetings different?  Our course provides you with the techniques to structure council meetings professionally and get the best contributions from the meeting participants.

Do you currently us Parish Online Mapping but don't fully understand how it works or have qustions that you would like to ask? Have you thought about signing up but would like to know more before committing? Then this FREE session is for you.

Two-part course for Councillors: 28 Feburay &  6 March 2024

Understanding how Parish and Town Councils work and your role and responsibilities is not easy, particularly if you are new to local government. This induction course explains the legal framework giving you the confidence to take a full part in your Council and make a difference in your local area. 

Parish and Town Councils have a duty and they also have a power! This course explains the complex legal background to allotments and the formalities in running them.  It explains the managing of allotments and the problems which can occur, and how best to deal with them.  Attendees benefit from receiving useful template documents as part of the course.

Are you a councillor or clerk who feels you would like to have a better grasp of your council's finances? Local councils spend public money but who specifically controls the finances?  This course gives a comprehensive overview of the council's financial year. 

Understanding how the planning system operates and routinely considering planning applications are key responsibilities of parish and town councils.  We look at the process from both the parish/town council and district/borough council perspective and how to manage the expectations of the public who are likely to attend our meetings.

NEW COURSE - MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON!

Our popular seminar is the opportunity to update yourself on key topics of interest and network with like-minded clerks and councillors.  The day will include sessions led by the Norfolk PTS team and invited speakers, as well as break-out sessions during the afternoon.

This course guides you through the requirements of data protection legislation to ensure that your council is compliant.  Your council needs to manage, review and record how it deals with data protection, along with subject access requests and data breaches.