WHAT DOES THE DORSET ASSOCIATION OF PARISH & TOWN COUNCILS DO?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE DAPTC?

The Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils provides advice, support, training and assistance to its member councils, many of whom employ only one official, the Clerk. Apart from the Town Councils this is usually on a part-time basis. The advice and support offered by DAPTC is backed-up by the Association's links with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) to which it is affiliated.

Legal Advice. Legal queries, relating to the work of parish and town councils, are referred if necessary to the qualified legal specialists at NALC.

Procedural Advice. Advice on procedural matters for member councils is normally answered in-house although more complex or unusual queries may be referred to NALC.

Financial and Insurance Advice. Depending on their complexity, such queries are either handled in-house or referred to NALC.

DISSEMINATION OF CURRENT INFORMATION

Newsletter. DAPTC publishes a Newsletter every three months which is circulated to all the Clerks and all Councillors of member councils. The Newsletter provides information of current interest to Local Councils in Dorset.

Regular Mailings. DAPTC acts as a filter for the huge amount of consultative, legal and administrative information, mainly received from the Government. It then issues its own Circulars as regular mailings to the Clerks of member councils.

Publications. DAPTC holds a stock of specialist publications which are available for members to purchase; these publications are also available to non-members at a premium.

Other Tiers of Local Government in Dorset. DAPTC has close and friendly ties with Dorset County Council and with all the District and Borough Councils in Dorset. A Charter which formally recognises the need for partnership working between all three tiers of local government in Dorset was signed in 1996. This is currently being updated to recognize in particular the concept and opportunities for "Quality Councils"

Voluntary and Other Local Organisations. DAPTC maintains links with appropriate voluntary organisations in Dorset and has particularly close links with Dorset Community Action which facilities local community involvement in rural Dorset, together with providing support for voluntary organisations in the county.

DORSET COUNTY TRAINING PARTNERSHIP

In 2003 with financial assistance from the Countryside Agency, the Training Partnership was set up as part of the National Training Strategy. DAPTC leads the Partnership.

Training courses and other sessions are organised regularly for both Clerks and Councillors of parish and town councils. The training courses cover a wide range of subjects providing essential training to those new to local council work and refresher training for the more experienced. Courses relevant to the Certificate in Local Council Administration are also provided.

Seminars. Seminars provide updates on new legislation, Government initiatives and subjects of general interest to the more experienced Clerks, Councillors and Chairmen. Seminars on planning, intended for both councillors and clerks, are organised regularly.

NATIONAL AND LOCAL LOBBYING

At the National Level. Lobbying at the national level is usually carried out in co-ordination with our National Association but, for example, following a resolution at the DAPTC AGM, DAPTC may lobby Government Ministries direct. DAPTC regularly responds to appropriate Government consultation papers on behalf of its members.

Local Lobbying. Whenever appropriate, DAPTC lobbies the County, District and Borough Councils in Dorset on behalf of our members on specific issues of concern to them. DAPTC is also a member of many committees and consultative bodies, including the Dorset Strategic Partnership, thus representing first tier councils throughout Dorset.

Press Releases. DAPTC issues press releases whenever it is considered that they will further the interests of its member councils.

MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT

DAPTC organises regular meetings for all its members councils as well as further meetings for the towns and larger parishes. Through these meetings member councils are able to exchange ideas and discuss mutual problems with their fellow councils. Expert speakers are frequently invited to address these meetings on issues of local interest and often give councillors the opportunity to raise their concerns with those who formulate policy locally.

Area Meetings. To encourage participation and to ensure an effective two way information flow, DAPTC divides the county into five areas; each of which holds a meeting every three months; each member council may send two representatives to their Area Meeting.

Towns and Larger Councils Committee. DAPTC also has a Towns and Larger Councils Committee which is open to all member town councils and other member councils with more than 5,000 electors. This committee normally meets four times per year.

RUNNING THE ORGANISATION

The staff at Colliton Annexe run DAPTC on a day to day basis. Policy and guidance is formulated through the DAPTC Annual General Meeting and the Executive Committee.

Annual General Meeting. The DAPTC AGM is usually held in the Autumn, each member council may send two members, one of whom may vote, to the AGM. The AGM elects the DAPTC President,  Vice Presidents and the County Representative to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

Executive Committee. The DAPTC Executive Committee, which comprises representatives from the five Areas and the Towns and Larger Councils, meets every three months. A list of the current members of the Executive Committee, their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses is listed below. The Executive Committee elects the DAPTC Chairman.

View the minutes from the last Executive Committee meeting (requires Adobe Reader®)

DAPTC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS