This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers who wish to further develop their understanding of the legal and governance framework within which councils 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 officers with a few years’ experience (6 months to 3 years’ experience of supporting meetings as a guide.)

The content is also linked a number of modules especially  Law and Practice module and the Structures and Functions of the ADSO Certificate and ADSO Diploma 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, and by the end of the workshop you will:

• Understand how decisions are made and reported and your role in supporting this, both in and out of meetings
• Constitutional issues of meetings- quorums, points of order
• Dealing with motions and voting including amendments, adjournments and deferrals
• Have a sense of how accountability and good governance works in local government, how Councils and Councillors are held to account and the role of scrutiny.
• Understand the rules of debate and consider the impact of politics and what this means for you as an officer of the Council.

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

Trainers – Lennox Beattie & Vicky Wemyss-Cooke
Lennox is an experienced Democratic Services practitioner having been the Executive and Regulatory Manager at Blackpool Council for the past 14 years. He has been responsible for support to the Executive and its governance for that period.  Lennox is also involved in ADSO work through the qualifications, which includes both the certificate and diploma.

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.

Date and time

Workshop One: Thursday 28^th November 2024, 9.30am-12.30pm
Workshop Two: Thursday 5^th December 2024, 9.30am-12.30pm

Cost

• ADSO Member rate – £110 + VAT per person to attend the course
• Non-ADSO Member rate – £160 + VAT per person to attend the course
• Terms and conditions for booking can be found here.  

How to book a place

To book a place please use the online booking form via the link below.

Please note that you only need to book the workshop on 28^th November  to be able to attend both workshops and attendance is required at both sessions.

Booking requirements

• A purchase order number is required for all bookings made out to ADSO.  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.