Jul
15
Fri
ADSO Webinar – The impact of abuse and intimidation of councillors @ via GoTo Webinar
Jul 15 @ 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Abuse and intimidation of councillors is an increasing concern in local government and emerging evidence indicates that this is happening all too often and beginning to influence local democracy. Debating and disagreeing with one another has always been, and will continue to be, a healthy part of democracy, but abuse and intimidation only serves to silence democratic voices and deter people from engaging with politics.

To better understand the issue of abuse and intimidation of councillors by the public, the Local Government Association (LGA) launched a call for evidence in October 2021. The LGA has now published a report of the findings of that call for evidence and proposed recommendations to begin addressing these issues and improving the support available to councillors. You can access the full report through the following link:

https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/debate-not-hate-impact-abuse-local-democracy#detailed-examination-of-the-responses-to-the-call-to-evidence

Our speaker is Jess Norman, Senior Policy Adviser at the Local Government Association who will present the findings and recommendations in the report and answer questions from attendees.  The webinar presents an opportunity for attendees to hear about the real experiences of councillors and the impacts of abuse and intimidation on councillors and local democracy.

Attendees will also hear about good practice the LGA has identified under the Civility in public life programme and have the opportunity to ask questions and make comments about good practice they are aware of in their areas, thereby sharing good practice.

The webinar will be particularly suited to Democratic Services Officers who support councillors with issues of abuse and intimidation.

To book, click on the following link:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2391862625035580940

Please note that you will need to be able to login in to GoTo webinar in order to access the webinars.  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.

Jul
20
Wed
East of England Regional Meeting @ Via Zoom
Jul 20 @ 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Sep
20
Tue
ADSO Webinar – The Councillor: from whom much is expected; little is often given – except from DSOs @ via GoTo Webinar
Sep 20 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Councillors operate in a fragmented, often chaotic and differentiated world with different demands on their time, resources and efforts. They face not only the formal demands of council work in cabinet, scrutiny, various committees and full council, but also a series of demands made by the public and community and by the government. In addition, councillors are ever more interacting with an array of organisations outside the council of which they are a member and which they seek to influence on both an operational and strategic level.  Then there is the party and party group and the expectations they have of councillors.

DSOs are the eyes and ears of the councillor and often those to whom councillors turn to for advice, support and assistance and not just for the practical stuff – for emotional support, a shoulder to lean on.

The aim of the webinar is to provide a further insight for DSOs into the demands, expectations and life of the councillor. It will also explore some contemporary issues and how they have affected the councillor such as virtual meetings and continuing demands for more stringent ethical and behavioural standards.

It will explore the following themes of relevance to DSOs:

  • The differentiated roles of the councillor
  • The expectations councillors face from the council, the public, the media and the government and how they respond
  • The levels of support provided and those needed for councillors
  • Interacting with external agencies
  • The effects of council membership of councillors’ social, private and working lives
  • Behaviour and ethics
  • Centralization and devolution and the councillor

The webinar will focus on what the DSO needs to know about the life of the councillor and is particularly suitable for; Democratic Services Officers in all types of local authority; Councillors; all officers who work with councillors; and Officers who wish to know a bit more about what it’s like to be a councillor.

Our speaker is Colin Copus, Emeritus Professor of local politics at De Montfort University and a Visiting Professor at the University of Ghent. Colin has worked closely with policy-makers and practitioners in central and local government and is currently the academic advisor to two All Party Parliamentary Groups and a member of the Council of Europe’s group of experts on the Charter of Local Self Government.

Our webinar is sponsored MVI AudioVisual https://www.mvi-audiovisual.com/Connect/ who provide standard software for automatic camera controlname displaying and voting automation in council chambers. MVI’s products are widely used around Europe, including the UK.

To book, click on the following link:   https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2429717711376338192

Please note that you will need to be able to login in to GoTo webinar in order to access the webinars.  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.

Oct
7
Fri
East Midlands Regional Meeting @ via Microsoft Teams
Oct 7 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Oct
21
Fri
East of England Regional Meeting @ Via Zoom
Oct 21 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Nov
4
Fri
South East Regional Meeting
Nov 4 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

For further information, please contact your regional reps as follows:

Eastern (Kent and Sussex)

Matthew Archer (Canterbury City Council)

Email: matthew.archer@canterbury.gov.uk

Western (Hampshire and Surrey)

Sally Prior (Test Valley Borough Council) and Kevin Greenhough (Hampshire County Council)

Email: SPrior@testvalley.gov.uk
Email: kevin.greenhough@hants.gov.uk

Nov
17
Thu
ADSO Annual Conference 2022 – Day 1
Nov 17 all-day

Full details to follow.

ADSO AGM @ To be confirmed
Nov 17 @ 4:20 pm – 5:00 pm

ADSO’s AGM will take place at the Annual Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Forest Pines Spa and Golf Resort, Ermine Street, Broughton, Brigg DN20 0AQ

Nov
18
Fri
ADSO Annual Conference 2022 – Day 2
Nov 18 all-day

Full details to follow.

Jan
31
Tue
East of England Regional Meeting @ Via Zoom
Jan 31 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm