Weekly update from ADSO’s Chair.John Austin

I have been on my travels again this week to the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) Conference in North Lincolnshire. Another two days of being wined and dined you are no doubt thinking. Well partly! They made me work for my supper this time. I presented a workshop on standards and member misconduct (particularly in local councils) and took part in a Q&A session the following day with Jonathan Goolden, a leading lawyer on standards, and Stewart Ramsey, Senior Policy Advisor to the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The attached photo shows me with Stephanie Kelly, President of the Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). My travelling pales into insignificance compared to her itinerary. Upon leaving the UK at the weekend, she heads straight to South Africa for another conference. I will never complain again about getting the 6.17am train out of Southport to head to the other end of the country. Well not for a while anyway! One of the highlights of the conference was listening to “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards telling us about his life and his amazing appearance as the only British ski jumper at the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988 – the only one in fact since 1928 to represent the UK. Those of us of a certain age will remember him well. For our younger members, google him. It’s worth a read. There also made a film about him a couple of years ago.

We took the opportunity at the above conference to meet with the IIMC and progress plans for the Symposium in Stratford upon Avon in June 2019. Further details will be circulated in due course.

Conference bookings are going well and it plans to be a really good event. I look forward to seeing you there, https://www.adso.co.uk/annual-conference-2018/

South East Employers (SEE) have released details for their Advanced Committee Administration training course, The Advanced Committee Administration programme is a two-day programme which is aimed at experienced practitioners and managers and has everything you need to help you develop in the role of Committee Administrator. The event is being held at LB Wandsworth offices on the 14th and 15th November. https://www.seemp.co.uk/event-directory/

Last call also please for contributions via the members’ forum thread to the scrutiny review consultation being led by MHCLG. We are aiming to have our submission drafted by the end of October.

All the best from a wet and windy Merseyside

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