Happy Monday, all. Many of you will be steadily working your way through induction programmes, I hope all is going well. It always feels to me to be a golden opportunity for us to start building those sturdy foundations to develop good working relationships with new councillors and an early opportunity for those councillors to grasp our role. Returning councillors are always happy to see a familiar face and so a feel-good time of year all round in my view. I hope everything runs smoothly for those of you who have annual council meetings this week.
Letter from the Chief Executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) to Kemi Badenoch MP
You may have noticed on social media that the AEA has written to the Minister for Levelling Up & Communities about the May polls, the Elections Act 2022 and other challenges facing election staff. Given that many ADSO members are involved in elections in one way or another, ADSO fully supports the views of the AEA. The letter can be accessed on our website via the following link: ADSO supports AEA Letter to Minister on May polls, Elections Act 2022 and other challenges – ADSO. As we said on social media, the system is crumbling and it’s only the dedication of those who work on elections that keeps it going. Let’s hope the Minister listens to the professionals – unlike with remote meetings.
Annual Conference and Awards 17th and 18th November 2022
Bookings are already coming in for ADSO’s Annual Conference. The programme for the two days is looking impressive and as always, the conference is a great opportunity to network, we hope to see as many of you there as possible.
You should have all received an email confirming that bookings for the conference are now open. If you haven’t received this email, please let sarah.hawkins@adso.co.uk know.
Full details of the conference and how to book are now on the website ADSO Conference and Awards Ceremony 2022 – ADSO. If you book before the 31st August the cost is £90 plus vat for ADSO members.
Upcoming Training Courses
Our training courses continue to prove popular with many of the courses already fully booked. We still have places on the below workshops and further information on all of these can be found on our website here: https://www.adso.co.uk/adso-training/book-your-course/
1. Structures and Functions: The anatomy of Local Government – 5 and 13 July
ADSO is hosting the interactive, virtual course ‘Structures and Functions: The anatomy of Local Government’. The course will be delivered as two, two- hour workshops held virtually.
Local government in England and Wales is complex and constantly evolving. The workshops will help learners to be more effective in their roles by:
- Explaining local government’s place in the UK’s constitutional arrangements
- Unpicking the different kinds of authorities and councils and what they do
- Exploring the geographies of local government and the drivers of change: Is bigger better?
2. Working in a Political Environment – 29 September and 5 October
ADSO is hosting the interactive, virtual course ‘Working in a Political Environment’ in September 2022, this is an additional course added to the ADSO programme. Working in a Political Environment will be delivered as two, 3-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 work more effectively with elected members. The target audience will be those who are relatively new to democratic service teams and those with a few years’ experience.
Mumsnet – Remote Meetings letter for signature
Mumsnet has written an updated
open letter
extension: pdf
They have asked that it is spread far and wide in your networks and once they have gained a critical mass of councillor signatures, they will send the letter along with a press release with all signatories.
The form to fill in for councillors, along with a link to the letter, is here.
That’s it for this week, wishing you all a great week ahead.
Priya Patel, ADSO Company Secretary