ADSO Training course: ‘Structures and Functions’ – 18 and 26 May 2022
ADSO is hosting the interactive, virtual course ‘Structures and Functions’. This will be delivered as two, two-hour workshops held virtually. Delegates will be required to attend both of the virtual workshops.
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 workshops 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
The workshops will include plenary presentations, case studies and smaller group working, enabling delegates to learn with delegates from across the country.
For more information & to book, visit here – https://www.adso.co.uk/adso-training/book-your-course/
2022 Annual Conference Survey Responses
Thank you to those who responded to the conference survey. Approximately 10% of the membership replied which was disappointing given the importance. We will analyse the results at the Board meeting on 25th March and decide whether to hold an in-person event. In the meantime, we would like to respond to some of the comments.
The event was referred to as a ‘jolly’ because the venue has spa and golf facilities. That is certainly not the case. A great deal of time was spent reviewing many venues with a professional search agent. Our needs were quite specific in terms of conference facilities, cost, accessibility and the number of bedrooms. The Chair and Finance Director spent the best part of two days travelling 600 miles to view four shortlisted locations, having previously looked at details of 30 other venues. The Forest Pines Hotel was chosen because it has excellent conference facilities which would work both for delegates and our sponsors, is in close proximity to major motorways/railway and was competitive with other places we looked at without a spa or golf course. Those facilities are a bonus for delegates to enjoy if they wish. We will not be paying any extra because of them.
Secondly, some people asked for more central and accessible venues. We always have to balance location against cost. City centre venues are prohibitively expensive and car parking charges are high. That’s why we tend to opt for out-of-town venues which are accessible by road and rail and have ample free parking.
It costs around £28,000 to put on our conference. Our sponsors income covers around £10,000 of this cost so the indicative cost of £100 per head for a two-day conference is very reasonable when compared to other conference fees and much less than the £265 we have charged previously. We are very conscious of council budgets, and we wish to keep costs as low as possible.
In terms of location, we do try to move the venue around to be fair to as many people as possible. The reality is however that wherever it is, some will have a long way to travel. It is likely that transport will be provided free of charge to and from Doncaster railway station to help ease the travel arrangements.
We will let everyone know what the Board decides to do after their meeting.
Members’ Forum
There are numerous subjects for discussion in the Members’ Forum including:
– Effect of Members Suspension from their Group
– Scrutiny – Performance Monitoring
– Councillor Training Programmes
– Integrated Care Partnership/Integrated Care Systems
– Equality and Diversity
Click on the link in the section below to see the full list.
John Lynch, Director of Finance