Virtual Training Seminar April 2021 Agenda

Year End 2020/2021
As the writer and Aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”  So this short session is about getting yourself ready for yearend; planning ahead the time and tasks required to ensure all documents and figures are signed off to meet the statutory requirements.

Update on GDPR – Clerks & Councillors Personal Devices
Councillors using their own devices has historically been a risk element but the new norm of remote working means that there is now a significant proportion of the council’s workforce working remotely. Given the large numbers of remote workers, many organisations are permitting staff to work remotely on their own personal devices. Whilst significant costs saving in permitting staff to work remotely on their own devices, organisations will have less control over the device. This can raise a number of risks from a data protection perspective. The session will cover:

– The law
– Bring your own device or BOYD Risk
– Having a clear policy
– Data Impact Assessment

Questions and Answers
Answering the most commonly asked questions relating to the powers, rights and obligations of the local council.

Governance & Accountability
To cover:
– Proper Practice and where to find it?
– Promoting continuous improvement
– Why Internal Controls are important?
– The role of Internal Audit?

Preparing for New Councillors

This session will cover:

• Legal requirements for new councillors including arranging the first meeting after the election
• Training and managing expectations including roles and responsibilities, what to expect from the clerk (agendas, minutes, advice etc), how decisions are made & how decisions of the council are carried out
• Political aspirations
• Co-option
• Financial implications

What. The. Fudge. Knuckle.  Now
I have sat and listened to so many professionals tell me how I should do stuff in times of crisis, how I should react, what I should plan for and what am I actually allowed to call a crisis.  It is clear that very few of those professionals have lived a day in the slippers of the Clerk.  An emergency planning team, eh?  A highways officer?  An HR officer?  A planning expert? That’s us!

I might not have anything you haven’t heard already but you might get comfort in knowing that you aren’t on your own and that you’re actually doing a darn fine job.