This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers who wish to develop their understanding of the legal framework within which councils and combined authorities operate and the practical application of this to the range of work areas undertaken by democratic services teams.  The course content will be relevant both to those who are relatively new to democratic services and to officers with a few years’ experience.

The content is also linked to the Law and Practice module of the ADSO Certificate and so it will help learners with their research for this module.

How the course will be delivered

The course will be delivered virtually via Zoom.  To maximise the delegates’ learning experience the course has been divided into two virtual workshops of three hours each.

The workshops will

• Provide an understanding of the statutory position of local and combined authorities and the main pieces of legislation governing their operation and constitutional arrangements.
• Examine the practical application of this legal framework to the aspects of an authority’s operation that impact most directly on the democratic services function, including:
  • Constitutions, governance arrangements and decision-making under executive arrangements (elected mayor or leader and cabinet) or a committee system;
  • Political proportionality rules;
  • Legal provisions relating to member and officer roles; and
  • Arrangements to ensure good governance including access to information, transparency and ethical standards.

The workshops will include plenary presentations, case studies and smaller group working, enabling delegates to learn with colleagues from across the country.

Trainers 

Ian Curtis
Ian is a solicitor who has worked in local government in the UK for more than thirty years. He is presently Head of Governance at Fylde Council in Lancashire, where he has worked seventeen years. Ian was council’s statutory Monitoring Officer for nine years and has acted as Deputy Returning Officer for local, national and European elections.  Ian is a past chair of the North West branch of the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors.

Sarah Quinn
Sarah Quinn is the Regulatory Business Manager at Surrey County Council. She has over 20 years of experience in local government and has worked across a range of roles, with experience of Committee Management and Governance, Community Partnerships, Overview & Scrutiny, Member Support and Development, Civic Support and School Appeals. She currently leads the delivery of Surrey County Council’s decision making and appeals processes and is an experienced trainer.

Dates and times

Workshop One: 2nd December 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm
Workshop Two: 10th December 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm

Please note that you only need to book onto the 2nd December course date to be able to attend both workshops.

Cost

• ADSO Member rate – £125 + VAT per person to attend the course
• Non-ADSO Member rate – £175 + VAT per person to attend the course
• ADSO Certificate in Democratic Services Knowledge Learner – Free

(fees have been increased effective from 1st October 2026)

How 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 re bank account).  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.