Practitioners’ Conference 2024 Agenda

Understanding Generation Z – How to Recruit, Retain and Motivate the Best of the Youngest Generation in the Workplace
Alex Atherton, Leadership Coach & Mentor
Kenilworth

Gen Z (years of birth 1995-2009) is the most significant generational shift so far. They are different to what has come before, and for good reason. The challenges they have inherited are incredibly difficult, but they are also well placed to overcome them. In order to recruit, retain and motivate the best leaders and organisations need to learn and adapt, and quickly. Former secondary school headteacher and Gen Z expert Alex Atherton will identify their key characteristics, and the actions which leaders and organisations can take not only to survive but ensure future prosperity.

Devolution in the Dock!
Variety of Speakers
Kenilworth

In a time of ‘Levelling-Up” through ‘Devo-Deals’, ‘Double Devolution’ ‘Community Rights to Bid/Acquire’ and ‘Community Ownership Funds’ it can seem like the whole world has been struck with devolution madness. But is devolution really a panacea for all ills in our local communities? Should we be seeking more and more devolution for devolution’s sake?
In this fun and interactive session, we’ll put devolution on trial. You’ll hear cases presented for and against devolution, and the audience will sit as the jury and vote a verdict for or against!

Community Energy in your Parish
Liz Sleeper & Nicola Davidson, Community Energy South
Kenilworth

This session shows how parish communities, leadership and assets can create locally owned energy projects that support residents to save energy and put profits back into the community.

Community Energy South  support building capacity and capability in local places so local energy can be generated in the way local people want.  For example: solar farms only given local endorsement on the condition of local part-ownership, community benefit funds or future selling directly to local people; hydro schemes that power local buildings; EV charging at village halls or simplified energy advice projects run by locals to help friends and neighbours to make their homes more cosy & comfortable.

We also deliver climate literacy training to enable parish councillors to understand climate change and where your parish and the people who live there may be able to take most effective action.

Gov-Finance: Enhanced Financial Operations in Local Councils
David Hall, Managing Director, Cloudy IT, Jonathan Smith, Government Finance & Apps Lead, CloudyIT, and Phil Berrill, Head of ERP and Microsoft Trainer 
Hamlet

Join us at SLCC for the insightful presentation ‘Gov-Finance: Enhanced Financial Operations in Local Councils’, a must-attend session for SLCC members. Hosted by CloudyIT, this event introduces Gov-Finance, a bespoke finance solution built on Microsoft 365, tailored for town and parish councils. Experience firsthand how Gov-Finance employs AI to revolutionise financial operations, enhancing efficiency and decision-making in local governance. Additionally, CloudyIT is excited to present our Experience and Innovation Suite, featuring partners like Owl Labs and Microsoft, showcasing the latest in hardware and software. This unique opportunity allows clerks to interact with cutting-edge tools and technologies. For more information and to see how innovative solutions can transform your council’s finance and administration, visit here.

How Parish Clerks Can Deliver the NPPF and Our Targets on Climate Change (Part 1)
Richard Watkins, co-founder, Save Our Shropshire & Allan Wilson, co-founder, Save Our Shropshire
Othello

The government published the new “National Planning Policy Framework” in December 2023. It states “The purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development, and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner”.

Storm Isha has just shown the potential impact of Climate change, and the devastation a non-sustainable approach will take.

Parish Clerks should come to this session to see how to calculate councils’ and communities’ impact on the environment, and to find out what practical actions you can take. We will explain carbon footprints, where you can find out yours, and what to do about food, energy, transport, and purchasing to be sustainable

Retaining Volunteers in the 21st Century
Rob Jackson
Kenilworth

Volunteering is changing and old models of how to keep people engaged are becoming outdated. We will explore some of these changes, examine the problem with traditional retention approaches and provide top tips for how you can change and become better at keeping volunteer support.

Environmental Action Planning
Andrew Maliphant​, Environmental and Sustainability Advisor
Hamlet

The recent Government guidance on the biodiversity duty for town and parish councils reminds us that we have a great opportunity to work with our community in so many ways that will make a real difference to present and future generations.  This session will look at how we can deliver that difference from early steps that need few if any resources up to fuller combined action plans for our council area.

How Parish Clerks Can Deliver the NPPF and Our Targets on Climate Change (Part 2)
Richard Watkins, co-founder, Save Our Shropshire & Allan Wilson, co-founder, Save Our Shropshire
Othello

Storm Isha has just shown the potential impact of Climate change, and the devastation a non-sustainable local plan could take.

The government published the new “National Planning Policy Framework” in December 2023. It states “The purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of homes, commercial development, and supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner”.

However, once you have worked out what you need to do in a sustainable plan, it will be essential to get your communities engaged in making this happen.

Parish Clerks should come to this session to find out some of the projects that should be undertaken, and then how to tailor your communication to the different personalities in your parish or town area to ensure positive engagement.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained – How to Make a Compelling Business Case
Michael King, Town Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer, Whitby Town Council
Kenilworth

Developing a business case is an important step in the process of seeking funding for any ‘business’, project or venture managed by the council.  A well-structured business case will demonstrate the project’s viability and potential success.  It will also help you to clarify what you want to do and how you want to do it. A well-structured business case can demonstrate to funders that your project has a strong foundation, a clear path to success, and the potential to deliver benefits. This can help increase your chances of securing funding and support for your council. Whatever the scale, there are some basic stages to developing business cases that can help you access funding: Define your business idea and goals, Conduct market research, Develop a financial model, & Present a clear and compelling argument. This session will explore these stages. Look at a basic template to present any business case, how to scale that with your project and how to manage expectations of what can be done and what will be done.

Retaining Volunteers in the 21st Century
Rob Jackson, Director, Rob Jackson Consulting
Hamlet

Volunteering is changing and old models of how to keep people engaged are becoming outdated. We will explore some of these changes, examine the problem with traditional retention approaches and provide top tips for how you can change and become better at keeping volunteer support.

Incident Planning ­– Are You Ready to Respond?
Helen Ball FSLCC, Town Clerk, Shrewsbury Town Council
Kenilworth

Parish and town councils organise many events but are the plans in place to cope with an incident?  Helen shares her personal experiences of managing incidents and how it has changed her views of having the right Emergency Plans and replicates the Emergency Desktop Exercise she undertakes in her town to gauge preparedness.

How to Use chatGPT. Use AI to do Council Tasks Faster
Becky Walsh, Personal Development Trainer
Othello

You might have heard about chatGPT and thought it sounds scary and isn’t for you. The truth is this new technology is here to stay and can be a very useful tool. The chatbot AI can do a surprising amount of tasks, and Becky Walsh has been exploring what it can do for the kinds of tasks we do as councils. Don’t worry, it’s not about take away your job, but it could make your working day a whole lot easier. In this talk, you’ll learn how to use it and what it can be used for.

Clear As Mud? All Things Procurement
Janine Gardner Town Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer, Cranbrook Town Council
Hamlet

Cranbrook Town Council in East Devon serves a new town which started being built in 2011 on land which used to be green fields. Since its creation in 2015, the Town Council has been delivering many public procurement exercises in-house and delivered or is delivering new assets, including a sports pavilion, a skatepark, two multi-use games areas, an outdoor gym, a trim trail, seven new play areas, CCTV installations and all the associated contracts, including a grounds maintenance contract worth £200,000 per annum. Come and learn from Cranbrook’s experience – and hopefully pick up a few hints and tips along the way to implement in your council.

Effective Investigation of Disciplinary & Grievance Workforce Issues
Jon Evans, Senior Associate, One West & Steve Debruin, Senior Associate, One West
Kenilworth

Effective investigation is critical to handling of potential Disciplinary & Grievance matters involving employees when they arise. This session will cover key techniques and pitfalls as well as confidence builders when asked to investigate a staffing issue. Where there might be aggrievement between two or more employees or a member of staff is facing disciplinary getting things right is critical. This session will help with that.

Employment: From Pay Rates to Holiday Entitlement
Ian Smith, National Employment Advisor
Hamlet

This session will centre on all things related to employment, such as pay rates, how to evaluate the job, holiday entitlement and the NJC Green Book terms and conditions of service.

Women Only – Avoid burnout and develop a powerful mindset
Becky Walsh, Personal Development Trainer
Othello

Don’t those ’empowering women’ talks get your goat! And they should, because being told you’re ‘not good enough’ is hardly going to inspire you. In this talk, Becky Walsh will explore what drives us to work beyond our energy, feel blocked even when we are being epic, and feel like somewhere there is an ‘unfulfilled life’ we should have. In Becky’s unique comedy style, she will give you tools to reprogramme your neuropathways from any stuck negative perceptions of yourself. That’s after she’s been ranting about how they got there in the first place. Sorry chaps, this is a women-only room, you wouldn’t want to be in here and none of this was your fault (directly)!

Stop Knife Crime – Together We Can Make a Difference – Educating Young People, Engaging Parents, and Advocating for Change
Patrick Green, CEO, Ben Kinsella Trust
Kenilworth

Knife crime is one of this country’s most pressing problems, and it is constantly evolving. It is a complex problem influenced by a variety of factors. Over the last decade, it has spread from the big cities and is now a growing problem in towns and villages across the UK. Knife crime is indiscriminate, it can happen to anyone, regardless of their age, gender, or background.
Patrick Green, CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust, will discuss knife crime and how it has changed over the last decade and what can be done to tackle it. His presentation will cover the following topics:

• Why educating young people about the dangers of knife crime is so important.
• How parents can play a vital role in preventing knife crime.
• The difference that successful campaigns make in changing attitudes and behaviors towards knife crime.

The Clerks’ Repair Shop
This interactive session will be delivered by a panel of professionals including Clerks, Lawyers, Life Coaches and members of SLCC Advice Service
Kenilworth

Do you have something broken or in poor repair?

A funding issue; policy challenge; legal conundrum; relationship breakdown or a personal crisis?

Could you do with a hand to get something fixed?

Then bring it to our workbench.

In this interactive session a panel of professionals including Clerks, Lawyers, Life Coaches and members of SLCC Advice Service will bring their skills, knowledge and experiences to bear on real-life problems brought by you. We’ll try to repair, renovate and restore!

(please keep an eye out for SLCC bulletins and forum posts seeking submissions for the Clerks’ Repair Shop)