Avon Local Councils’ Association (ALCA) is a not-for-profit membership organisation supporting local Parish and Town Councils across Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, to provide positive outcomes for their communities. Working exclusively with Local Councils for forty-eight years, and with a membership of 94% across the Avon area, ALCA understands Councils’ needs and provides friendly, professional and supportive advice, training, information, advocacy and networking services (locally and nationally) to meet these needs.
ALCA and the National Association of Local Councils (NALC)
ALCA, like all other County Associations of Local Councils (CALCs) throughout England, is affiliated with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), who are based in London. NALC supports the County Associations to provide a national voice for Parish and Town Councils across England. They campaign on their behalf, raise awareness of their work and provide them with the most up-to-date information and guidance.
Internal organisation
ALCA is run by Local Councillors, for Local Councils. Managed by a Regional Committee of elected representatives from the membership, it is made up of four Parish Councillors from each of the Unitary Authority (UA) areas, two non-voting special interest co-opted representatives, and an Honorary Treasurer - 15 members in total.
Meeting four times a year, the Regional Committee manage and administrate the organisation, raising issues on behalf of the member Local Councils in their respective areas that need to be addressed at a national level by NALC. ALCA also elects a Regional Committee member to represent them at a national level at NALC committee meetings.
ALCA employs two members of staff, the Chief Officer, who executes the decisions of the Regional Committee, and an administrative assistant.
Funding is obtained through annual membership subscriptions and through our own earned income streams, notably Training & Development. Unlike other County Associations, ALCA does not receive any grant funding from the Unitary Authorities.
ALCA does not have an office base and all its income goes directly into supporting the services it supplies to the membership as cost-effectively as possible. Subscription fees are currently well below the average when compared to other County Associations whilst services are ranked as good.
