Training Partners

Breakthrough Communications partnered with DAPTC early in the first 'lockdown' of 2020 and specialise in helping councils engage effectively with their communities. We have now as of march 2021 deepened our relationship further.

In recent years we have seen legislation like GDPR have a significant impact on parish and town council operations. Managing and storing data has significant implications and that’s why we were pleased to partner with Breakthrough Communications to provide access at discounted rates to their ‘Compliant Councils Hub’. Equally Freedom of Information requests can absorb time and effort from officers. If you are a member of DAPTC you can now access masterclass events on both these topics, make use of this valuable resource.

In ‘Council Connect’ you will also find a number of resources that are invaluable for an increasingly technology driven parish and town council sector. We have all seen in the last year the value of virtual meeting platforms, combine this with integrated websites and social media profiles and your community can benefit from deeper levels of engagement and understanding. Take advantage of the permanently discounted rates as a DAPTC member. You can read more on Breakthrough Communication's dedicated DAPTC Member Page.

We have booked a selection of courses across 2021 with Breakthrough Communications - some of our Dorset members have already sampled the training and were suitably impressed. For examples of what is on offer open our summary document with course descriptions and costs. If you want to book a course check the webinars page.

Courses are available for clerks and officers as well as councillors. Training is provided weekdays and evenings to suit the audience. If you wish to organise a bespoke session for your council contact us at DAPTC and we'll help pull costs and dates/times together.

We have an agreement for members with The Parkinson Partnership for finance training covering a range of topics in any given year. The topics are normally driven by the upcoming priorities for councils, for e.g. budget training will be in the Autumn and concludes just before the New Year. Similarly year end finance preparation will be geared to the period leading up to Spring. Booking on to one of these courses is different from those run by DAPTC. The link below is for The Parkinson Partnership website and they will confirm your booking. Once the training is complete we will then organise your invoice and if required CPD Points / Certificate. The courses are open to other councils around England so spaces book quickly, so don't hang about!

Cancellation – the full course fee will be payable if advice of cancellation is not received by DAPTC at least five working days prior to the course date.

VIEW AND BOOK FINANCE COURSES Please ensure you keep the booking confirmation email from The Parkinson Partnership - this contains the Zoom code needed to join the training session.

The typical courses run and available are as follows:

Finance for Councillors - councillors only, to give a greater understanding of their duties with regard to the council’s finances. Courses are available most months.

Internal Controls - this session will give councillors and clerks an understanding of the need for internal controls and how they work, with practical examples and case studies. Courses are available most months.

Introduction to VAT for local councils - this session, for clerks, finance staff and councillors who wish to develop their knowledge, explains how VAT affects local councils. Essential for any council contemplating major building projects. Courses are available most months.

The role of Internal Audit - for councillors and officers wanting to understand the role of the internal auditor and how to appoint one. (Please note, this is NOT a training session for people who want to undertake internal audits) Courses run infrequently – keep an eye out for dates released in DAPTC’s e-newsletters and on our website.

Year-end Accounts & Audit - For officers who want to understand how to prepare their council’s Annual Governance & Accountability Return and comply with the requirements of the audit process. Courses available during February to April.

DAPTC partner with Dr. Andrea Pellagram for Planning and Neighbourhood Planning matters.

Andrea has a vast level of experience in the sector and the two programmes developed for DAPTC focus on parishes and towns being more effective in planning responses. The Neighbourhood Plan focus is centred on developing a small number of detailed policies that reflect a communities aspirations.