YLCA are excited to be working with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and Nimble Training to provide online training sessions that councillors and clerks can take at any time. These sessions, (described as E-Learning sessions), offer a flexible, time and cost-effective way of learning. Whilst they are not specifically tailored to the local council sector, they do provide officers and local councillors an introduction/overview to each topic, as listed, some of which we might not normally cover but are still relevant. Once enrolled on a training session you can take up to 12 months to complete it. The cost is £15.00 per delegate, and a list of topics are below. Please click on the link to each topic for the full description of the course.

Training and Professional Services are an important part of the Associations' support for member councils by offering help to councils wishing to increase their knowledge base and capability. Training is arranged by Yorkshire Local Councils Associations which is the only independent organisation offering specialist advice and information to the parish sector in North, South and West Yorkshire.

There will be no face to face training sessions, until further notice.

Remote training sessions are completed via Go to Webinar, Go to Meeting, Zoom or Zoom Webinar and they are usually a 1 to 1.5 hour training session. Some topics require longer sessions, 2 hours, 2 1/2 hours, but no more than 3 hours for any remote training session.

The following training courses will be held in 2020/2021. Please check the calendar above for dates which will also be promoted in the fortnightly Training E-Bulletin. Some of the training courses we provide are listed below:

Off to a Flying Start - a day of training for brand new councillors with sessions on Roles and Responsibilities, Council meetings, Finance and Employment.

Spreading your wings - a day of training for councillors who have completed 'Off to a Flying Start' following the same format but to enable councillors to expand their knowledge and skills.

Cemetery Management - delivered by Alan Fairchild, MBE which will cover understanding the legal and practical issues around the safety testing, repairs and reinstatement of memorials, legal, admin and financial duties and much more.

The Planning Process - led by Andrew Towlerton a planning consultant. Training to help councillors to understand the planning system and to lead their councils to make better and well informed responses to planning applications.

In addition to the above, we shall also be arranging sessions on dealing with complaints and difficult situations, Freedom of Information (FOI) and so much more.

This system of booking is for all face-to-face training sessions, NOT remote training sessions.

All bookings must be accompanied with a booking form; confirmation will then be sent along with an invoice. Payment must reach YLCA seven days before the date of the event.

Please copy and use a separate booking form for each event.

Full details for delegates will be sent to the Clerk and delegate (if email address provided), seven days prior to the event.

1. Conference and event brochures and booking forms will normally and where possible, be sent to member councils at least twelve weeks before the closing date for major events and at least six weeks before the closing date for other events (major events include the YLCA Annual Conference and any larger one day conferences; other events include one day, half day or evening seminars).

2. Where full information on conference speakers and content cannot be given with the brochure and booking form, it will be made available when possible through White Rose Update, additional flyers in YLCA mailings and the YLCA website and YLCA e-mail communications to members.

3. Closing dates for events will depend upon the amount of notice required by the venue. Closing dates will be set as the minimum notice of final numbers required by the venue plus three clear working days.

4. To assist in compliance with the Equality Act 2010, booking information will include a request for information on any disabilities the conference or seminar delegates may have and for sufficient information to assess whether special measures need to be taken to facilitate those delegates attending the event.

5. Booking forms shall clearly indicate that full payment must be received by YLCA not later than the given closing date.

6. Cancellation notifications shall be made 10 days in advance of a conference or event in order to qualify for a full refund with exceptions to be granted at the discretion of the Chief Officer in cases of emergency and that in the first instance those cancelling be offered the chance to transfer their booking to another event.

7. Cancellations notified after the closing date for bookings will not normally be eligible for any refund. Where there is a reserve list of delegates wishing to attend and a substitute can be found, then a refund may be given, less an administrative charge. That administrative charge shall be £10 or 10% of the conference fee, whichever is the greater.

8. Once a closing date for bookings has passed, a reserve list will be maintained for anyone wishing to attend, but who is unable to complete the booking process in time. In the event of a delegate cancelling their conference or event place, that place will be offered to those councils/persons on the reserve list in the order in which their request for places was received, provided that YLCA has not incurred any unrecoverable costs related to the booking.

9. Attendance at YLCA events by persons for whom no booking has been made, or in respect of whom full payment has not been received, will not be permitted.

10 Where a delegate with a disability attending a YLCA event is unable to participate fully in that event due to their disability, then a refund of their fee shall be considered at the discretion of the Chief Officer.

Training in the Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA)
Following completion of the basic online course called the Introduction to Local Council Administration provided by the Society of Local Council Clerks, clerks can move on to the CiLCA course.

The Yorkshire and Humber Regional Training Partnership (YHRTP) (of which YLCA is the lead partner) provides training for clerks working towards CiLCA. The CiLCA course is being re-planned currently but do note that as a rule, the RTP will only take students who have passed Working With Your Council or the replacement course, Introduction to Local Council Administration (ILCA).

The RTP took in a new tranche of candidates at 1 June 2020 and will be looking at a further intake in January 2021. Please contact Sheena Spence, RTP Lead Officer for further details - e-mail: admin@yorkshirelca.gov.uk