Practitioners’ Conference 2023 Agenda

Self-Motivation & Personal Empowerment
Ken Hancott, Tarragon Training

As so many clerks work remotely it’s so important to have self-motivation and psychological tools that allow personal empowerment. There are plenty of influences (life events and people) that can make life and work difficult. If it’s not possible to change these events and people then the only thing left is to change the way we think about them to make our experiences better. This session will explain how you can use your own mind to take control of your motivation and emotional reactions to most of whatever is thrown into your life.

SLCC Future Strategy
Rob Smith, SLCC Chief Executive

Rob Smith presents SLCC’s renewed strategy and priorities which have been developed with the Board of Directors and his executive team to ensure the future growth and stability of our professional membership body.

Government’s Reforms of the Planning System – What Clerks Need to Know
Andrew Towlerton

The Government has embarked on “radical” and “far-reaching” reforms of the planning system in England which will “streamline” and “modernise” it. This session will examine the most significant developments that will have practical and strategic implications for clerks and the sector in more general. It will cover important reforms that have already taken place as well as those in the pipeline.

The session is being led by Andrew Towlerton, National Planning Advisor to the Society of Local Council Clerks. A qualified planner, Andrew has worked in various senior planning roles in the public and private sectors. He is also a parish clerk so is familiar with local councils.

Get Your Council Heard Nationally

Join Clare Mullin from UK Parliament Outreach with her session Get Your Council Heard Nationally which will cover:

• Build relationships with MPs and Lords
• Influence questions and debates
• Link with All Party Parliamentary Groups
• Work with Select Committees to scrutinise national policy

Suitable for all delegates from England and Wales.

Getting the Most Out of Your Advice Service
Helen Watson FSLCC, SLCC Senior Advisor and Mentor Co-ordinator

This session will look at what your professional SLCC Advice Service can do for you and exactly what it offers,  with details of how the service is triaged to specialist advisors to determine the best advice in various professional subjects.  It will also look at resources including the SLCC information Library and the relaunch of the new Clerks Manual.

How to create an anti-racist council
Becky Walsh, Communications and Marketing Officer, Weston Town Council

In this webinar, Becky Walsh talks about the human psychology of diversity and equality. Why a council need to tackle racism in society and how town and parish councils can become self-reflective and analytical about their own culture and history, without becoming shut down and defensive. Councils have a role to play in positive change around hate crime and bringing communities together.

Love Your Local Market?
David Preston, NABMA

The value of markets and the important role that they can play in communities is recognised worldwide by the Love Your Local Market Campaign. Markets can be at the heart of employment, shop local, tourism, footfall, and supporting the local economy. We look at the legal and policy framework for markets and the role and influence that can have in your community.

Gallagher Cyber Assist – Where is your risk as a local council?
Johnty Mongan, Cyber Risk Consultant for Gallagher Insurance

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting UK councils, with more than 2.3 million attacks detected in the first half of 2022 alone.

In this webinar, we will be looking at how local councils and community organisations can identify and mitigate their cyber risks in a landscape that is continually evolving.

Topics we will cover include:

Cyber insurance—a market overview
Types of cyber-attacks and what to look out for
How you can protect your organisation against cyber risk.

We will discuss the role of cyber insurance, the importance of effective cyber risk management, and how the two can work together to help you reduce your cyber liability.

Emotional and Mental Health in Leadership
Becky Walsh, Comedic Personal Development Trainer

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.’

Anything from sleep problems, fatigue, irritability, worry, stress, depression and anxiety can hold you back from being that person.

In this webinar, we will look at how our perceptions of ourselves can cause these symptoms. You will discover the thoughts and voices in our minds (subpersonalities), and how to control the less helpful ones like the inner critic and build new ones that make you a resilient leader.

Get Your Council Heard Nationally

Join Clare Mullin from UK Parliament Outreach with her session Get Your Council Heard Nationally which will cover:

• Build relationships with MPs and Lords
• Influence questions and debates
• Link with All Party Parliamentary Groups
• Work with Select Committees to scrutinise national policy

Suitable for all delegates from England and Wales.

According to the ONS, a staggering 76% of young people report that they have no influence on decisions affecting their local area. A further 45% feel that they don’t belong to their local community.

This disconnection between Britain’s youth and local communities is stifling the efficacy and creativity of our local authorities. Nevertheless, it is these local authorities that are best placed to re-engage and enable youth talent.

It Ain’t What You Do It’s The Way That You Do It
Katie Walding, Clerk to Sway Parish Council, Ian Morris, Clerk to Peterlee Town Council, and Johnathan Bourne, Community Governance Senior Support Tutor

Scientific research has shown that the narratives we tell ourselves about our lives can powerfully affect our ability to deal with stress, and that people with more coherent and positive internal narratives tend to have a stronger sense of identity and greater overall life satisfaction.  And we all know what makes a good story, right?  The hero sets out on a journey with a personal goal; they face challenges and encounter villains along the way; they make mistakes and have near-misses; but ultimately they prevail, discovering new inner strengths or powers, and grow into a better person as a result.  Think Jayne Eyre, Bilbo Baggins or Luke Skywalker!

In this fun and interactive workshop, we’ll encourage you to think about your own strengths as superpowers.   We’ll introduce the Superpowers of Clerking, and give you an opportunity to work in small groups and individually to consider which of the Clerking Superpowers are most relevant to you* and might help to reinforce your inner narrative.

*The wearing of capes, masks or your underpants on the outside of your trousers for this workshop is entirely discretionary

Memorial Safety, Your Responsibilities and How BRAMM Can Help
Yvonne Colverson, Executive Officer to the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM)

This session will look at memorial safety in burial grounds, the responsibilities of cemetery managers and how BRAMM can help burial authorities meet their statutory duties.

A Clerk’s Practical Experience and Tips for Obtaining External Funding
Linda Larter MBE FSLCC, Chief Executive / Town Clerk for Sevenoaks Town Council

Look at examples of projects and how they have been funded, and what potential sources of funding are available. Receive tips for completing external funding bids.

Investing in Wellbeing – is it worth it?
Patricia Marks, Founder and CEO, SBA CIC & Amanda Whitlock, Corporate Wellbeing Coach

What is mental health, stress and why should we invest in Employee Wellbeing? Discover how you spot signs of distress and the importance of self-care.

Practical Tips on Embedding Wellbeing in the Workplace
Patricia Marks, Founder and CEO, SBA CIC & Amanda Whitlock, Corporate Wellbeing Coach

This session will take a look at training and staff development in order to determine what is useful, and how to change the culture at work. Also discover how to start a conversation around mental health using simple, work-based wellbeing initiatives.

When Public Servants Say No
David Whetham

Exploring the theory and practice of reasonable challenge and loyal dissent in different contexts, all framed around the simple question “Who do you serve?”.

How Ready Are You For a Crisis?
Karen Ainley, Lead Trainer and CEO of Mosaic Media Training

In this session Karen will help you learn how to recognise a crisis and how you can prepare. You’ll learn the key components of a crisis communications plan and the skills you need to develop your key messages.