ADSO is hosting the highly popular course ‘Just a Minute’.   Just a Minute will be delivered as two, virtual three-hour workshops.  Delegates will be required to attend both of the virtual workshops.

Audience
This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers who are required to take minutes of meetings.   The target audience will be those who are relatively new to democratic service teams and those with a few years’ experience.

How the course will be delivered
The course will be delivered virtually, to maximise the delegates learning experience the course has been broken into two virtual workshops.
The workshops will include plenary presentations, case studies and smaller group working, enabling delegates to learn with delegates from across the country.
This workshop aims to provide you with the skills and knowledge to write a local government minute, including:

• An understanding of the law relating to local government minutes
• Tips and good practice for notetaking and local government minute writing
• An awareness of the different minutes styles used for different types of meetings
• The opportunity to apply your knowledge in practical exercises and case studies with colleagues from other local authorities
• You will need to bring pen and paper, or laptop, or your own preferred minute writing medium!

Trainers 

Vicky Wemyss-Cooke
Vicky is currently the Committee Services Manager at London Borough of Camden and has been a DSO in London for almost 30 years and for the last 7 years has been the Committee Services Manager in Camden, managing a small team servicing Council, Cabinet, scrutiny and non-executive committees, along with a range of other bodies such as school appeals panels and tenants’ consultative committees.  Throughout her career, she has also undertaken a range of roles in support of local, national and regional elections and currently serves as Chief Count Supervisor for the Holborn and St Pancras Constituency area.  Vicky has been an active ADSO Member from its inception and is an assessor for the Certificate in Democratic Services Knowledge.

Amanda Dickinson
Amanda is Democratic Services Team Leader at Boston Borough Council and an experienced trainer with over 20 years’ experience across private and public sectors. She has a strong background in governance, committee management, and member support, and previously worked as a Modern.Gov Trainer delivering system training to local authorities nationwide. Amanda now runs an independent Democratic Services Consultancy, offering bespoke training, governance advice, and committee management solutions. Amanda holds the NVQ Level 4 in Democratic Services, a predecessor to the current ADSO qualifications, and is passionate about supporting professionals to develop confidence and skills in democratic processes, with particular expertise in virtual training environments. Amanda brings strong political awareness, excellent stakeholder engagement skills, and a proven ability to communicate effectively through public speaking, formal reporting, and national networking.

Date and time
Day One: 8th January 2026, 9.30am-12.30pm
Day Two: 16th January 2026, 9.30am-12.30pm

Delegates are required to attend both workshops.  Please note that you only need to book on 8th Jan course date to be able to attend both workshops.

Cost
ADSO Member rate – £110 + VAT per person to attend the course
Non-ADSO Member rate – £160 + VAT per person to attend the course
ADSO Certificate in Democratic Services Knowledge Learner – Free

How to book a place
To book a place please use the online booking form via the link below.  Terms and conditions for booking can be found here.

Booking requirements
A purchase order number is required for all bookings made out to ADSO (see note above).  Courses cannot be attended if a purchase order is not received.

• A hardcopy of the purchase order is required.
• Please provide us with your ADSO Membership number (if applicable)
• A few days after booking you will receive a calendar invite for the workshop(s).  Please note that your email address will be visible to all participants unless you advise us otherwise.

Please send the above information to adsotraining@emcouncils.gov.uk.