Thursday 17th September 2026, 9:30AM - 4:00PM

Bringing Local Communities Together.

Free Online Conference for Parish, Town and Community Councils.

2026 Guest Speakers

Browse the industry experts ready to share their knowledge & insights with you!

Jane Biscombe

Town Clerk, Weymouth Town Council

Lance Allan

User Acceptance & Training Project Manager, Smaller Authorities’ Audit Appointments (SAAA)

Claire Reed

Proper Practices Project Manager, National Association of Local Councils (NALC)

Tom Clay

Executive Officer, East Riding & Northern Lincolnshire Local Councils Association (ERNLLCA)

Steve Parkinson

AAT Licensed Accountant & Partner, The Parkinson Partnership

Jackie Weaver

Chief Officer, Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC)

Mark Tomkins

Director & Founder of Aubergine

Julie King

Parish Clerk and Partner at Norfolk Parish Training & Support (NPTS)

Louise Gransden

Town Clerk, Mayor and Charter Trustees of Margate

Daniel Purchese

Director, Breakthrough Communications

Becky Walsh

Founder of Council Culture and Counselling, Coaching & Communications Specialist

Steve McNay

Council Manager, Woughton Community Council

Colin Raffell

Local Council Scheme Manager, James Hallam Insurance Brokers

Millie Manton

Areas Sales Manager, KOMPAN UK

James Corrigan

Director, Council HR and Governance Support

Keira Lake

Finance Apprentice, Dorchester Town Council

Nigel Hayes

Responsible Financial Officer, Dorchester Town Council

Aniko Szőcs

Clerk, Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council

Tom Sykes

Architect, Client Advisor and Founder of Common Works

Claire Lingard McKay

Practice Director, Working the Greener Way Online

2026 Agenda

Browse the 2026 agenda below and find the sessions most useful to you!

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9:30 am - 9:45 am

WELCOME

9:45 am - 10:00 am

Jane Biscombe

Town Clerk, Weymouth Town Council

The Things We Count and The Things That Count: Lessons from Tumbledown Community Farm in an age of KPIs, metrics and growth

10:00 am - 10:45 am

Claire Reed & Lance Allan

Proper Practices Project Manager, NALC and User Acceptance & Training Project Manager, SAAA

Live Look at the New Digital AGAR & SAPPP Proper Practices Update

10:45 am - 11:15 am

Steve Parkinson

AAT Licensed Accountant & Partner, The Parkinson Partnership

Dealing with a VAT Compliance Review: Mistakes to Avoid

11:15 am - 11:25 am

COFFEE BREAK

11:25 am to 11:30 am

Lightning Speakers Round #1

20 slides and 5 minutes for each speaker

11:30 am to 11:35 am

Millie Manton

Areas Sales Manager, KOMPAN UK

Creating Playgrounds That Engage Tweens and Teens

11:35 am to 11:40 am

Colin Raffell

Local Council Scheme Manager, James Hallam Insurance Brokers

Cyber Security and Insurance

11:40 am to 11:45 am

Tom Sykes

Architect, Client Advisor and Founder of Common Works

How to Read a Planning Application

11:45 am to 11:50 am

Becky Walsh

Founder of Council Culture and Counselling, Coaching & Communications Specialist

The Council as a Nervous System: Opening the Window of Tolerance

11:50 am to 12:00 pm

Lightning Round #1 Panel

Ask your questions!

12:00 pm to 12:15 pm

Keira Lake & Nigel Hayes

Finance Apprentice and Responsible Financial Officer, Dorchester Town Council

The Value of Apprenticeships in Local Government

12:15 pm to 12:30 pm

Louise Gransden

Town Clerk, Mayor and Charter Trustees of Margate

Can a Parish Council be Too Small? Findings from My Master’s Dissertation

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

LUNCH BREAK

1:00 pm to 1:20 pm

Daniel Purchese

Director, Breakthrough Communications

Data Breach at 4:55pm on a Friday

1:20 pm to 1:40 pm

Mark Tomkins

Director & Founder of Aubergine

Improving Community Engagement & Getting the Best From Your Council Website

1:40 pm to 2:00 pm

James Corrigan

Director, Council HR and Governance Support

Employment Rights Act 2025 Update

2:00 pm to 2:30 pm

Jackie Weaver

Chief Officer, Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC)

Handling Vexatious Requests

2:30 pm - 2:40 pm

COFFEEE BREAK

2:40 pm to 2:45 pm

Lightning Speakers Round #2

20 slides and 5 minutes for each speaker

2:45 pm to 2:50 pm

Claire Lingard McKay

Practice Director, Working the Greener Way Online

Keeping Your Accounts Audit-Ready

2:50 pm to 2:55 pm

Steve McNay

Council Manager, Woughton Community Council

Woughton Community Council's Library of Things

2:55 pm to 3:00 pm

Julie King

Parish Clerk and Partner at Norfolk Parish Training & Support (NPTS)

Agendas & Minutes – Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

3:00 pm to 3:05 pm

Tom Clay

Executive Officer, East Riding & Northern Lincolnshire Local Councils Association (ERNLLCA)

Planning for the Parish Council of 2030

3:05 pm to 3:15 pm

Lightning Round #2 Panel

Ask your questions!

3:15 pm to 3:45 pm

Aniko Szőcs

Clerk, Great Chart with Singleton Parish Council

Clerks as Community Connectors

3:45 pm to 4:00 pm

PRIZES & SAY OUR GOODBYES

Register Your Free Spot!

Join us for the full conference or dip in and out throughout the day to attend sessions most useful to you.

Communities "In Bloom" Competition

Join our photo competition for the chance to win a delicious food hamper. Show us what’s growing, blooming and bringing your community to life!

Here's how it works:

1. Snap a Picture: Capture what’s growing and making you or your village smile — from flowers and hanging baskets to home-grown fruit, veg and wildflowers.
2. Submit Your Photo: Email your photo to hello@scribeaccounts.com by Monday 14th September, and tell us where it was taken.
3. Attend & Vote: We’ll showcase all the entries at the Scribefest conference — choose your favourite and cast your vote!
4. Win a Yummy Food Hamper: The photo with the most votes will win a delicious food hamper to enjoy!

Here's some inspiration from the Scribe Team!

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