Abuse and intimidation of our elected representatives is one of the biggest threats to our democracy in the UK. In the last seven years, two MPs – Jo Cox and Sir David Amess – were murdered as they met their constituents. Many elected representatives routinely receive abuse. Local Government Association data from 2022 showed that seven out of ten local councillors had experienced abuse and intimidation in the last year.
Building on extensive stakeholder engagement and research, Hannah Phillips of the Jo Cox Foundation will discuss the recently launched Jo Cox Civility Commission: Call to Action, report which offers practical and deliverable recommendations to tackle abuse in politics. Addressing the issue is complex and requires action across multiple different sectors including Parliament, local government, political parties and the police.
The webinar is particularly suitable for Democratic Services Officers. It will outline the nature of the problem of abuse towards elected representatives, explore the recommendations from the Jo Cox Civility Commission: Call to Action especially for local authorities, and discuss ideas for implementing these recommendations.
Please note that you will need to be able to login in to GoTo webinar in order to access the webinar. If you are logging in from your workplace, you will need to ensure that GoTo has not been blocked by your organisation. Otherwise, you can log on from your mobile.
Register for the webinar
The webinar is sponsored by Link Support Services (UK) Ltd led by David McGrath who is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel Development and former councillor. This year Link celebrates its 30th year providing lively, interactive and bespoke training for elected members and officers. Link supports over 150 public sector bodies in England and Wales including Councils, Combined Authorities, Police and Crime Panels, Fire Authorities and other national organisations such as the Co-op. It’s Link’s 10th year sponsoring ADSO too and we offer over 35 courses for councillors and officers. Courses include: Chairing Skills, Casework and Advocacy skills, Effective Committee membership, Public Speaking, Civic Coaching, Scrutiny, Planning, Licensing, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Local Government Finance and many more.
Link has trained councillors in Personal Safety Skills for over 10 years. As a former front-line councillor in Birmingham (8 years) and community campaigner for over 30 years, David McGrath and his team provide highly practical personal safety training for members (training over 1500 councillors between 2021-23).
Link’s courses look at how members can anticipate, prevent and manage potential risks in a range of typical scenarios (e.g. ‘on the doorstep, in surgeries, in challenging meetings, online and more). This thought-provoking training can be delivered at any point in the municipal year (induction, pre-election, refresher), and can also assist officers to review and bolster their member support strategies.
Visit Link support Services or email Linkukltd@aol.com or call David on 01676 522775 for further details on any of the Link courses.
Register for the webinar
For more information, please contact Fiona Rae (frae@lambeth.gov.uk) or Maria Burton (mburton@westminster.gov.uk)
This webinar aims to give you a better understanding of mental health, mental illness, the risk and protective factors and the training available for elected members.
Delivered by Ed Davie from the Centre for Mental Health, attendees will be given a taster session of the training he provides including evidence-based tips on improving mental health and background information on the training.
The webinar will be of particular interest to Democratic Services Officers who want to learn more about mental health themselves or are interested in commissioning this training for their members.
Ed is a mental health and local government expert and since 2021 has delivered his bespoke Mental Health for Councillors Training to about 700 elected members in nearly 50 local authorities with over 93% of trainees rating the training as ‘Excellent/Good’. A King’s College London evaluation found that it successfully improved understanding of mental health and how to improve it for elected members and their communities. A more in-depth evaluation by the National Institute for Health Research is currently underway and early findings are very positive.
Please contact the Chair of the group, James McLaughlin, if you are an MO/DMO who would like to join the group by emailing James_McLaughlin@sandwell.gov.uk
Please contact either Michael Robson Michael.Robson@northoftyne-ca.gov.uk or Shauna Healey shaunahealey@merseyfire.gov.uk
Please contact the Chair of the group, James McLaughlin, if you are an MO/DMO who would like to join the group by emailing James_McLaughlin@sandwell.gov.uk
Please contact either Michael Robson Michael.Robson@northoftyne-ca.gov.uk or Shauna Healey shaunahealey@merseyfire.gov.uk