For Microsoft Teams link and passcode, please contact michael.robson@northtyneside.gov.uk or katherine.harclerode@rotherham.gov.uk
The proportion of Councils that no longer have stable, one-Party, administrations is increasing. There are implications for councils as a whole, but particularly for colleagues in Democratic Services who work at the interface between services and political governance structures.
This webinar will explore those implications. It will reflect on the implications of no overall control (NOC) for councils’ ability to deliver services well and rise to place-based challenges. It will draw on general learning and advice from umbrella organisations.
It will then bring the advice to life by sharing the experiences of two contrasting sets of circumstances: the unexpected fall of a minority administration in Kirklees and the tensions inherent in an Elected Mayor’s administration working in the context of a council dominated by his opponents in Doncaster. Both circumstances are from 10-15 years ago.
The webinar is aimed at Democratic Service colleagues who have faced the challenges of NOC and unstable administrations in the past, are doing so now, or may do so in the future.
The webinar aims to develop:
- understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of NOC
- understanding of the constitutional challenges
- understanding of the relationship challenges
- anticipation of short-term and longer-term issues following changes in administrations
… and thus, greater preparedness for actual or potential circumstances following local elections or changes in political deals supporting administrations.
Our speaker is Rob Vincent, ex Chief Executive of Kirklees Council.
To book, click on the following link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7161411033320292954
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.
The meetings run from 09:30 to 12:00 (approx) and are currently held on Teams.
Anyone who would like an invitation should contact Louise deCordova Hayley Caves or Heather Rae
For more information, please contact Fiona Rae (frae@lambeth.gov.uk) or Maria Burton (mburton@westminster.gov.uk)
Serving in public office is both a privilege and a responsibility. However, there is a growing issue of abuse and intimidation in public and political discourse that can have a negative impact on councillors, their families and local democracy. This is why the Local Government Association (LGA) commissioned Riber Consultants to work with councils and relevant partners to consider the best approaches to supporting councillors to prevent and manage abuse linked to their elected role. Through the project, researchers identified key challenges to supporting councillors with these issues, principles for councils to consider, and top tips and good practice case studies to help councils better support councillors prevent and handle abuse and intimidation.
Our speaker is Jess Norman who is a Senior Policy Adviser at the LGA responsible for Democracy and Voluntary and Community Sector issues. In particular, she leads on Elections and the Civility in Public Life programme which looks at councillor standards and conduct, issues of abuse and intimidation of councillors and councillor safety. She has previous experience working in Fire and Rescue, FGM and death policy and in frontline housing and benefits services.
The webinar is for anyone working in Democratic Services and will aim to provide attendees with an opportunity to consider new approaches to supporting councillors in their own authorities and to discuss the challenges and opportunities set out in the report.
Attendees will hear about principles of good practice identified in the report and particular examples from other councils. There will the opportunity to ask questions of the presenter and comment at the end of the presentation.
Our webinar is sponsored Link Support Services, led by David McGrath. As a former front-line councillor in Birmingham (8 years) and community campaigner for over 30 years, David provides lively, bespoke, interactive and practical personal safety training for members (over 1500 councillors between 2021-23).
Link Support Services courses look at how members can 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 www.linksupportservices.co.uk or email Linkukltd@aol.com or call David on 01676 522775 for further details
To register for the webinar, click on the following link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1919200178237666648
Please note that you will need to be able to login in to GoTo webinar in order to access the webinar on the day. 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.
For Microsoft Teams link and passcode, please contact michael.robson@northtyneside.gov.uk or katherine.harclerode@rotherham.gov.uk