Firstly, well done to all of you who’ve had elections to run last week. I know that some Councils had four consecutive days of counting votes for the different contests immediately after polling day and there are even one or two by-elections scheduled already (sorry, Wiltshire colleagues). But I know it’s not over yet for many colleagues. Annual Meetings are coming up soon so Member Induction, proportionality calculations, committee and outside body nominations, group accommodation, new Members’ IT etc. all needs sorting out very quickly. It’s been the toughest year for our sector but hang in there; you’re all doing brilliantly under huge pressure.
Virtual meetings
ADSO does not want to lose the momentum in lobbying for remote meetings. We know that a number of Councils have incurred additional costs in hiring premises or other facilities, such as audio-visual equipment for their annual meetings. If you are one of those authorities, could you please email John Austin and tell him the cost you have incurred – john.austin@adso.co.uk. We will not attribute the cost to your authority and will keep the information confidential. We are more interested in the total figure.
Introduction to Democratic Services training course
Lennox Beattie and I ran a pilot of the new ADSO training course yesterday ahead of the first actual course being run next Thursday. This is a course that has regularly been asked for and I’m pleased to say that it’s fully booked next week. There will be more dates arranged in the coming months. My thanks to all of the participants who attended the pilot and for your helpful and constructive feedback. We are making some tweaks to the programme for next week and I very much hope the participants will find the course helpful.
Request for opinions for LLG Monitoring Officers’ roundtable
John Austin has been asked to present to an LLG Monitoring Officers’ roundtable next Wednesday (19 May) on the subjects of changes in political administration or councils with no overall control. He will be partnered in the presentation by Jill Coule the Monitoring Officer at the Liverpool Combined Authority.
John would be interested to hear of any experiences you might have had with either changes in political control or finding yourself in a situation of a council with no overall control. What are the issues and challenges you have faced? Please email John on john.austin@adso.co.uk by Tuesday pm (18 May) if you can help.
Newsletter take-over: Helen Davies – Democratic Services Officer at Cheshire East Council
Helen is one of our completed learners in 2020 and you can access her contribution to this week’s newsletter below:
Helen Davies Profile
extension: pdf
ADSO Awards
The nomination process for this year’s ADSO awards will be open shortly, so please start thinking about who to nominate in the following categories:
- Rookie of the Year
- Learner of the Year
- Distinguished Service award
Details of the nomination process will be posted on the website as soon as possible.
IIMC Region 11 Director
Finally, I am delighted to advise you that Hans Rijs has been elected as the Region 11 Director for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). On behalf of ADSO, many congratulations, Hans. We look forward to continuing to work closely with you.
Peter Sass, Vice Chair