Council Employee Development

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.

In a constantly changing legislative landscape, it is important that councils have the most up-to-date understanding of data protection legislation. They should also have a good grasp of their data protection obligations.

For councillors, clerks/RFO's and officers.

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.

This session does NOT cover exemption from audit or the Transparency Code for smaller Authorities. We have alternative sessions for councils under £25,000 that need those topics.

Explore how to create a social media strategy and the basics of Facebook. Our goal is to share with you time-saving tools and techniques. Hopefully, this will help you and your council to be more confident using social media.

This session is for officers who want to understand how to prepare their council’s Annual Governance & Accountability Return on an income and expenditure basis (mandatory for councils regularly spending over £200,000) and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

This session deep dives into how councils are required to demonstrate accountability with UK GDPR.

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.

In this session we explore practical techniques to manage difficult conversations and situations in a council environment.

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.

This session does NOT cover exemption from audit or the Transparency Code for smaller Authorities. We have alternative sessions for councils under £25,000 that need those topics.

In this session we consider how to deal with data subject rights requests, including Subject Access Requests (SARs) and the importance of Information Security for local councils and what this means in practice..

This session is for officers who want to understand how to prepare their council’s Annual Governance & Accountability Return on an income and expenditure basis (mandatory for councils regularly spending over £200,000) and comply with the requirements of the audit process.

In this session we explore how to get the most from each of the key social media platforms and how to ensure your social media content is delivering on your council’s communications objectives.

This introductory session is for inexperienced clerks, deputy/assistant clerks and finance officers in their first few months and is designed to give them an overview of a council's year, along with a basic understanding of the RFO's role.

This session is for clerks, finance staff and councillors. It explains how VAT rules affects local councils, focussing on those that are not VAT registered, but reclaim VAT using Form VAT126. Essential for any council contemplating major building projects

NEW FOR 2025

Does your council want to get started on a Neighbourhood Plan, or review an existing Plan?

This session will provide an understanding of what is involved in the development of a Neighbourhood Plan, and associated documents such as Design Codes, and also help with reviewing exisiting Plans.

This course looks at what requirements and obligations local councils have when it comes to Freedom of Information.

This session gives councillors and officers an understanding of the need for internal controls and how they work, with practical examples and case studies.

Discover the tools, strategies and techniques needed to better promote your own messages but also to better respond to the voices within your local community.

For anyone involved in procuring goods and services, preparing tenders or entering into contracts on behalf of local councils.

This session is for clerks, finance staff and councillors. It explains how VAT rules affects local councils, focussing on those that are not VAT registered, but reclaim VAT using Form VAT126. Essential for any council contemplating major building projects

This session is for clerks, finance staff and councillors from VAT registered councils who wish to develop their knowledge of how VAT applies to their council's activities.

NEW FOR 2025

Does your council want to get started on a Neighbourhood Plan, or review an existing Plan?

This session will provide an understanding of what is involved in the development of a Neighbourhood Plan, and associated documents such as Design Codes, and also help with reviewing exisiting Plans.

This introductory session is for inexperienced clerks, deputy/assistant clerks and finance officers in their first few months and is designed to give them an overview of a council's year, along with a basic understanding of the RFO's role.

This session gives councillors and officers an understanding of the need for internal controls and how they work, with practical examples and case studies.

This session is for clerks, finance staff and councillors. It explains how VAT rules affects local councils, focussing on those that are not VAT registered, but reclaim VAT using Form VAT126. Essential for any council contemplating major building projects

For anyone involved in procuring goods and services, preparing tenders or entering into contracts on behalf of local councils.

This introductory session is for inexperienced clerks, deputy/assistant clerks and finance officers in their first few months and is designed to give them an overview of a council's year, along with a basic understanding of the RFO's role.

For clerks, finance staff and councillors of councils that lease or hire out land and buildings such as village halls, community centres, meeting rooms, sports facilities or markets, who need to understand when their council is at risk of not being able to reclaim VAT.

Essential for any council contemplating major building projects, or incurring significant expenditure on running these facilities.

This session is for clerks, finance staff and councillors from VAT registered councils, who wish to develop their knowledge of how VAT applies to their council's activities.

Ideal for new councillors recently in roles, or for returning councillors wanting a refresher course. This course may benefit new to role clerks and members of their team where they have one.

Examples of recent feedback from delegates attending this course:

“This was a good refresher for me, packed with useful information and with excellent examples”

“Presentation was very clear and didn’t presume any prior knowledge. The trainer was happy to take questions throughout”

“Useful summaries on all aspects”

“Andrew’s delivery of the information was the best I have attended so far, clear, informative with memorable examples that make the principles stick in the mind”

This session is for clerks, finance staff and councillors. It explains how VAT rules affects local councils, focussing on those that are not VAT registered, but reclaim VAT using Form VAT126. Essential for any council contemplating major building projects

NEW FOR 2025

This session builds on the Basic Introduction to Planning webinar and covers some of the more specialised aspects of the planning system as well as looking at some aspects in more detail.

This introductory session is for inexperienced clerks, deputy/assistant clerks and finance officers in their first few months and is designed to give them an overview of a council's year, along with a basic understanding of the RFO's role.

This session gives councillors and officers an understanding of the need for internal controls and how they work, with practical examples and case studies.

Ideal for new councillors recently in roles, or for returning councillors wanting a refresher course. This course may benefit new to role clerks and members of their team where they have one.

Examples of recent feedback from delegates attending this course:

“This was a good refresher for me, packed with useful information and with excellent examples”

“Presentation was very clear and didn’t presume any prior knowledge. The trainer was happy to take questions throughout”

“Useful summaries on all aspects”

“Andrew’s delivery of the information was the best I have attended so far, clear, informative with memorable examples that make the principles stick in the mind”

NEW FOR 2025

This session builds on the Basic Introduction to Planning webinar and covers some of the more specialised aspects of the planning system as well as looking at some aspects in more detail.

What to do if you consider a bad / unlawful planning decision has been made.

Suitable for new to role councillors, refresher for existing and experienced councillors. Also beneficial for clerks and their teams where they have one.

Some recent feedback from delegates attending this course:

“Refreshed and updated my skills/knowledge/understanding. A development in our parish has gone to Appeal”

“The course covered everything and facilitated discussion as well”

“Great opportunity to explore solutions to enforcement problems”

“A pleasure to hear from a really experienced trainer with wide knowledge of this field”

Would you like to know which topics our New Councillor Induction Programme will cover after the May Elections?

DAPTC are pleased to offer the opportunity free of charge so you are reassured your new and existing councillors are getting the right support to do their role.