The elections are out of the way but there is no time to take a break. No doubt you are all now focussing on annual council meetings and member induction etc. This is the time of year I always enjoyed – sad I know. New administrations in some cases, new leaderships, mayor-making and an influx of new councillors eager to get started – and of course a good buffet and glass of wine at the new Mayor’s reception! Democratic Services staff play such a key role in all those things and in my experience the relationships we build with new members during this time remain throughout their term of office.
ADSO Conference
Back in ADSO HQ, things are progressing nicely for the annual conference in November. Booking and hotel accommodation details will be published shortly as well as the draft programme. Please make sure that you book your place early. The cost is heavily subsidised to enable as many of you to attend as possible.
Training courses
Our training courses are also taking place at some speed. See the website for the full programme. Our next offering is the Structures and Functions: The anatomy of Local Government course which takes place on 5 and 13 July. This will be held remotely over two x two-hour workshops. Delegates will be required to attend both sessions.
This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers who wish to develop their understanding of the different kinds of local authorities, what they do and how they fit into the wider government landscape of the UK. The target audience will be those who are relatively new to democratic service teams and those with a few years’ experience.
The course will:
- Help learners understand local government in its wider context
- Describe the evolution of local government to the present
- Invite learners to discuss and dissect the structure of local government today
It will include plenary presentations, case studies and smaller group working, enabling delegates to learn with others from across the country.
For more information & to book, visit here: https://www.emcouncils.gov.uk/adso/Council-and-its-Governance/76152
Webinar – Councillors code of conduct
Our next webinar takes place this Friday 20th May at 10.30am. The topic is the The New Model Code of Conduct and related guidance. Our guest presenter is Paul Hoey who, as many of you will know, was instrumental in drafting both documents for the LGA. We already have over 100 people attending but there is room for more. Please book via the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6297938155073450508
AEA-LLG-ADSO Guidance – Casual Vacancies – Failure to attend meetings
The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA), ADSO and LLG have this week produced guidance on ‘Casual vacancies – Failure to attend meetings’. You can access this here:
https://www.adso.co.uk/app/uploads/2022/05/AEA-LLG-ADSO-Member-Support-Project-Casual-Vacancy-Failure-to-attend-meetings-10-May-2022.pdf
extension: pdf
Regional meetings
I have attended a number of regional meetings recently and was so pleased to see the high number of members attending. The agendas were really interesting and there was a good level of participation. My thanks to all the regional representatives who work so hard to arrange these meetings and to ensure interesting topics to discuss. If you haven’t attended a regional meeting yet, give it a go. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Best wishes all and have a good week.
John Austin, ADSO Chair