Become a Member

Membership is open to Town, Parish or Community Councils or Parish Meetings. Being a Member gives your Councillors and Clerk direct access to a range of expert advice, support and services specifically for the Parish sector.

CAPALC Membership Benefits 2022/2023

For further information about joining your County Association please email: office@capalc.org.uk.

Membership of CAPALC includes
membership of NALC.

Annual membership fees are based on
the size of your community.

Membership Benefits

Training

Access to numerous training opportunities for clerks and councillors at discounted rates

Telephone Support - Monday to Friday

Office assistance for general queries 9.00am to 12.30pm

Helpdesk / advice telephone service 9.00am to 4.00pm

Website

Dedicated to the parish sector with resource material accessible by all member councils

Website Helpdesk

Access to an online email helpdesk facility providing written support

Publications

Access the CAPALC Bulletin and other sector related news articles

Click here for our Example bulletin - July 2022

NALC - Who we are

Established in 1947, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is a membership organisation and the only national body representing the interests of local councils. NALC works in partnership with county associations to support, promote and improve local councils.

Who can join

Local council is a universal term for community, neighbourhood, parish and town councils. With 10,000 local councils across England, every local council is able to become a member of NALC by joining their local county association.

What we do

NALC provide a national voice for local councils across England. We campaign on their behalf, raise awareness of their work and provide them with a range of services to support their needs.

Why join

NALC operates at a national level to represent local councils. NALC provides a number of services:

Campaigning – lobby for the issues that are important to local councils and communicating those views to government and a range of influential organisations, in the private, charity and public sector

Legal, accounts and audit advice – written, telephone and digital advice from NALC’s well-experienced solicitors

Publications – a quarterly magazine, LCR, fortnightly Direct Information Service (DIS), guides on being a good councillor, employer, finance and transparency, neighbourhood planning and a range of toolkits

Publicity – raising the profile of local councils and the sector beyond a regional level

Conferences, events and training – NALC’s national events and training sessions are opportunities to bring our diverse membership together to learn about new or topical initiatives, and share ideas

Media – guidance on how to deal with a media crises, how to deal with reporters and media outlets and writing a media policy

Standards, awards and recognition – opportunities all year round for local councils to take up the chance to celebrate and be recognised for achievements through the Local Council Award Scheme, Council Spotlight and Star Council Awards

Find out more about NALC's services, achievements and what our members had to say about our work in our handy Benefits of Membership booklet.

How to join

Becoming a member of NALC is an easy and simple process. You cannot be a member of NALC without being a member of your county association. Membership to your county association will give you automatic membership to NALC as well.

Join your local country association by emailing: office@capalc.org.uk

Costs

NALC will charge you 7.42p per elector for your membership from 1 April 2021.

Membership fees are capped at £1,900 per council. This cost will be added to your annual county association membership fee.