Feb
24
Wed
South East Regional Meeting
Feb 24 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

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

Eastern (Kent and Sussex)

Nick Hughes (Thanet District Council) and Matthew Archer (Canterbury City Council)

Email: nicholas.hughes@adso.co.uk
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

Feb
26
Fri
North West Regional Meeting @ Via Zoom
Feb 26 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Mar
3
Wed
Workshop 1: Law and Practice @ Online via Zoom
Mar 3 @ 9:30 am – 12:00 pm

ADSO are delighted to announce the launch the interactive, virtual course ‘Law and Practice of Local Government’.  The course will be delivered as two, two and a half hour workshops held virtually.  Delegates will be required to attend both of the virtual workshops.

Audience
This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers who wish to develop their understanding of the legal framework within which councils operate and the practical application of this to the range of work areas undertaken by democratic services teams.  The course content will be relevant both to those who are relatively new to democratic services and officers with a few years’ experience.

The content is also linked to the Law and Practice module of the ADSO Certificate so it will help learners with their research for this module.

How the course will be delivered
The course will be delivered virtually.  To maximise the delegates’ learning experience the course has been broken into two virtual workshops.

The workshops will

  • Provide an understanding of the statutory position of local government and the main pieces of legislation governing its operation and constitutional arrangements.
  • Examine the practical application of this legal framework to the aspects of a council’s operation that impact most directly on the democratic services function, including:
    • Governance arrangements and decision-making under executive arrangements or a committee system;
    • Political proportionality rules;
    • Legal provisions affecting members and officers; and
    • Arrangements to ensure good governance including access to information, transparency and ethical standards.

The workshops will include plenary presentations, case studies and smaller group working, enabling delegates to learn with delegates from across the country.

Trainer
The virtual workshops will be led by John Williams.  John has over 30 years’ practical experience in the field of democratic services, governance and constitutional advice.  For 12 of these he headed up the service at the London Boroughs of Croydon and then Tower Hamlets, where he was also appointed as Returning Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer.

John now works as a consultant in democratic and electoral services and has extensive experience of delivering training in each of these areas.  He is also an assessor for the ADSO Diploma.

Dates and times

  • Workshop 1: Wednesday 3 March 2021, 9:30 – 12:00
  • Workshop 2: Wednesday 10 March 2021, 9:30 – 12:00

Delegates are required to attend both workshops.  Please note that you only need to book on the 3 March course date to be able to attend both workshops.

Cost

  • ADSO Member rate – £110 per person to attend the course
  • Non-ADSO Member rate – £160 per person to attend the course

All costs subject to VAT.  Deadline for booking tickets: Tue 23 Feb 2021

ADSO reserve up to two places on this course for an ADSO learner depending on demand – please email Kirsty.lowe@emcouncils.gov.uk if you wish to be allocated a learner place.

Virtual Platform

The virtual workshop will be held using Zoom.

If you have any questions about the course contact Kirsty.Lowe@emcouncils.gov.uk

Mar
10
Wed
Workshop 2: Law and Practice @ Online via Zoom
Mar 10 @ 9:30 am – 12:00 pm

ADSO are delighted to announce the launch the interactive, virtual course ‘Law and Practice of Local Government’.  The course will be delivered as two, two and a half hour workshops held virtually.  Delegates will be required to attend both of the virtual workshops.

Audience
This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers who wish to develop their understanding of the legal framework within which councils operate and the practical application of this to the range of work areas undertaken by democratic services teams.  The course content will be relevant both to those who are relatively new to democratic services and officers with a few years’ experience.

The content is also linked to the Law and Practice module of the ADSO Certificate so it will help learners with their research for this module.

How the course will be delivered
The course will be delivered virtually.  To maximise the delegates’ learning experience the course has been broken into two virtual workshops.

The workshops will

  • Provide an understanding of the statutory position of local government and the main pieces of legislation governing its operation and constitutional arrangements.
  • Examine the practical application of this legal framework to the aspects of a council’s operation that impact most directly on the democratic services function, including:
    • Governance arrangements and decision-making under executive arrangements or a committee system;
    • Political proportionality rules;
    • Legal provisions affecting members and officers; and
    • Arrangements to ensure good governance including access to information, transparency and ethical standards.

The workshops will include plenary presentations, case studies and smaller group working, enabling delegates to learn with delegates from across the country.

Trainer
The virtual workshops will be led by John Williams.  John has over 30 years’ practical experience in the field of democratic services, governance and constitutional advice.  For 12 of these he headed up the service at the London Boroughs of Croydon and then Tower Hamlets, where he was also appointed as Returning Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer.

John now works as a consultant in democratic and electoral services and has extensive experience of delivering training in each of these areas.  He is also an assessor for the ADSO Diploma.

Dates and times

  • Workshop 1: Wednesday 3 March 2021, 9:30 – 12:00
  • Workshop 2: Wednesday 10 March 2021, 9:30 – 12:00

Delegates are required to attend both workshops.  Please note that you only need to book on the 3 March course date to be able to attend both workshops.

Cost

  • ADSO Member rate – £110 per person to attend the course
  • Non-ADSO Member rate – £160 per person to attend the course

All costs subject to VAT.  Deadline for booking tickets: Tue 23 Feb 2021

ADSO reserve up to two places on this course for an ADSO learner depending on demand – please email Kirsty.lowe@emcouncils.gov.uk if you wish to be allocated a learner place.

Virtual Platform
The virtual workshop will be held using Zoom.

If you have any questions about the course contact Kirsty.Lowe@emcouncils.gov.uk

ADSO Webinar – Civic Support @ via GoTo Webinar
Mar 10 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

****FULLY BOOKED****** Come into my Parlour! – demystifying the management of civic office

There is good evidence that, as longstanding Mayor’s and Chair’s Secretaries retire, they are not being replaced like for like. Instead, a senior manager might stalk the Democratic Services corridor and put their hand on the shoulder of an unsuspecting DSO, announcing ‘I want you to take on management of the civic office’.

After the initial shock, thoughts will turn to ‘what does it entail?’ ‘where do I start?’ and ‘who can I talk to for support?’

This ADSO webinar will set you in the right direction and will be led by Phil O’Brien, who has 37 years’ experience in the field. A former Head of Democratic Services at Derby City Council, Phil’s first local government role was as Assistant Mayor’s Officer and he served 32 consecutive Mayors. Phil is a founder member and sits on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Civic Officers (NACO) and is author of ‘Surviving Scrutiny – a 21st Century Civic Office.’ He also helped develop the ADSO Diploma Civic Pathway.

Hosted by ADSO, the webinar will take place on Wednesday 10th March from 3.30-4.30pm.  You will have the opportunity to ask questions of Phil and share your views.

The webinar is sponsored by Link Support Services (UK) Ltd (www.linksupportservices.co.uk). Link is in its 27th year providing highly regarded bespoke member and officer training.  It supports over 150 Councils, Police and Crime Panels, Fire and Rescue Authorities and Combined Authorities with their member and officer training requirements and are a NACO approved training partner.

 

Mar
12
Fri
South West Regional Meeting @ Virtual meeting via Microsoft Teams
Mar 12 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Mar
17
Wed
ADSO Webinar – Rules relating to the pre-election period @ via GoTo Webinar
Mar 17 @ 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

*****FULLY BOOKED*****

This webinar will be presented by Mark Heath, one of the most experienced and respected Returning Officers in the country. Mark, who for over 20 years was also a Monitoring Officer, will take you through the rules relating to the pre-election period (sometimes known incorrectly as purdah) for Councils, particularly from a democratic services aspect, using practical examples to guide you through the election period.

Hosted by ADSO, the webinar will take place on Wednesday 17th March from 12.30-1.30pm including a Q&A session where you will have the opportunity to ask questions of Mark and share your views.

The webinar is sponsored by Public-i (https://www.public-i.tv/webcasting-services/hybrid-link/#Hybrid_Link) Established in 2000, Public-i is the leading provider of live-streaming and audio-visual services to the public sector providing hardware and software to the public sector for the best meeting experience.

 

Mar
19
Fri
East of England Regional Meeting @ Online via Zoom
Mar 19 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Mar
22
Mon
West Midlands regional meeting @ Remotely via Zoom
Mar 22 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Mar
26
Fri
ADSO Full Board meeting
Mar 26 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm