Overview

GAPTC is establishing Parish and Town Council Hubs across the county to enhance communication and support. These hubs aim to:

  • Tailor Communication: Divide the district into smaller geographic hubs for more focused interaction.

  • Enhance Support: Provide up-to-date information and share resources across councils.

  • Provide Effective Two-way Communication: Facilitate meaningful exchanges between councils and higher government tiers.

  • Promote Representation: Advocate for council needs at district and county levels, focusing on critical issues like climate action.

  • Share Knowledge: Promote best practices and professionalisation among councils.

  • Facilitate Recognition and Training: Align training and services with council needs and showcase local efforts.

  • Encourage Mentorship and Collaboration: Facilitate mentorship for new clerks and chairs, and improve access to funding and skills through closer relationships.

This initiative aims to create a cohesive and effective network of local councils, benefiting both the councils and the wider community.

What We Learned from Our First Member Engagement Regarding the HUBs

During our initial engagement sessions, we received valuable feedback on how the Parish and Town Council HUBs should be structured. Key findings from these sessions include:

  • Forest councils suggested that HUBs should consist of around 12 councils each. Although others preferred groupings based on precept size, with larger parishes and town coming together.

  • Many councils felt the first meeting should be an informal gathering, where attendees could introduce themselves and share their unique challenges and needs.

  • Members highlighted the importance of considering councils that border other districts and counties when forming HUBs.

  • Sharing best practices between councils was a common priority.

  • Clerks expressed the need for the HUBs to reduce workloads, not add to them.

  • There was consensus that the structure should aligning with district networks and other existing groupings.

  • District and county councillors were encouraged to participate in HUBs, enhancing collaboration. 

We’ve also explored the idea of a WhatsApp group for clerks to quickly share useful updates. This would be an admin-only group to avoid message overload, with the option for clerks to opt in via a form on our website. For inter-council communication, we remind clerks of the existing Facebook group, which remains an effective space for sharing information.