Practitioners’ Conference 2025 Agenda

Delivery of Martyn’s Law
Helen Watson, SLCC Senior Advisor and Mentor Co-Ordinator & Helen Ball FSLCC, Town Clerk to Shrewsbury Town Council
Kenilworth

As the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill moves towards enactment, this session will look at the practicalities of complying with legislation, what kind of documentation will be required and how might those plans be tested.

Getting Positive Outcomes From Procurement: How to Attract The Right Contractors and Set Up a Process to Give Best Value and Good Outputs
Tom Skyes, Extended Studio Co-founder, Design Council Expert
Kenilworth

In this session we’ll look at examples of how to set up positive procurement exercises.  From sourcing local suppliers to how structuring briefs, from different ways of scoring quality and cost components to managing evaluation panels, this will be a practical session based around good examples.

Cemetery and Church Matters
Alan Fairchild, Honorary Vice President & Helen Watson, SLCC Senior Advisor and Mentor Co-Ordinator
Hamlet

In this session Helen and Alan will share some of their advice on managing local council cemeteries, maintaining closed churchyards and providing more burial space.  We will also bring you an update on reaction to the Law Commission’s review of outdated burial law including key proposals to extend  grave reuse powers to all local authorities in England and Wales and enable the Secretary of State to authorise closed  burial grounds to be reopened as recommended in the Commission’s consultation published in November 2024, inviting responses by 9 January 2025.

Local Council Consultancy – Hear All About It!
Yvonne Colverson, LCC Administrator

Local Council Consultancy (LCC) was established by SLCC in 2018 to provide locum and consultancy services in the local council sector. With a value for money and unique ‘profit for purpose’ philosophy, LCC offers sector specific solutions for your needs. Come along to this session to hear more about the projects we undertake, how we can supply locum support if needed and what it’s like to be part of the LCC associate and locum team.

Practical Walk Through of The Election Process From a Clerk’s Perspective (Tips, Dates, Deadlines, Dos and Don’ts)
Jane Olds, SLCC General Advisor
Kenilworth

While elections aren’t really the responsibility of the council, Clerks are often turned to by councillors and members of the public when they have questions.

This session will take you from the beginning of the full council election process to election day and beyond. We will also cover by-elections and a little about the co-option process.

AI in Local Government: Tackling Inaccuracy and Driving Efficiency
Steve Walker, Head of Local Government Services at CloudyIT

A Year to Save a Council
Sabrina Doherty
Kenilworth

“Being a Town Clerk is easy, it’s like riding a bike, except the bike is on fire, you’re on fire, everything is on fire and you’re in hell!” When you take a new job where the reality doesn’t match the advert, and things become a little warm, how do you survive? How do you extinguish long term, overlooked debt? How do you deal with long standing rivalries to get people to work together? In the current climate, where many Councils are finding themselves in serious financial difficulty, this session gives an insight into the issues that can create the perfect storm, and offers top tips on how to tackle complex problems. Spot the warning signs in your own Council and have the tools to keep you on the right track.

Back-to-Basics of VAT
Richard Strevens, Principal Indirect Taxes Consultant, PSTAX
Othello

In this introductory session, you will look at: the basis of a local council’s VAT recovery powers, what limits need to be considered and when they apply, and when does a council need to register for VAT.

Building Playgrounds for All: Designing Accessible and Inclusive Play Parks
Rebecca Maddern

Delivered by a parent/carer, this workshop will explore the key principles, challenges, and solutions involved in designing play parks that are accessible, inclusive and welcoming for all children, regardless of ability. Play is an essential part of childhood development, offering children opportunities for physical activity, social interaction, and emotional growth. However, for children with disabilities, access to safe, stimulating, and inclusive play spaces can be limited. This session aims to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to create play parks that serve the diverse needs of all children, fostering an environment where everyone can play, learn, and thrive together. Time will be given to explore questions and answers and will empower attendees to reflect upon their play strategy to create play parks that are not only accessible but also inclusive, promoting social inclusion, community well-being, and equal access to the benefits of outdoor play for all children.

The Evolution of Devolution
Dr Andrew Walker, Head of Research at The LGIU (Local Government Information Unit)
Kenilworth

English devolution has changed, spread and taken different forms in the decade since the Greater Manchester deal in 2014. What does its latest iteration mean for town and parish councils, communities and the future of local democracy?

Accuracy Matters: Right First Time Every Time
Greg Fradd, Director & Head of Training for the Accuracy People
Kenilworth

In this session, you will look at: What we mean by ‘mistakes’, What they cost you, Why we make mistakes, and what you can do about it.

Dealing With a New Housing Development in Your Parish
Andrew Towlerton, SLCC National Planning Advisor
Kenilworth

The new Government has pledged “to get Britain building” and work with “builders rather than blockers”. At the core of this approach is the building of one and a half million new homes across the country over the next five few years.  At the same time,  they are promising communities, including local councils, a greater say on how these new homes are built. In this challenging environment, the session will consider what are the opportunities, barriers and benefits to local councils of dealing with new housing development to get the best outcomes for local communities.

Building Ways to Play
Dr Amanda Gummer, Chair of The Association of Play Industries (API)
Hamlet

Playgrounds have a crucial role to play in community cohesion and are an important part of the resources that children need government to provide to be able to thrive. The affordance is in the design and the API’s members continually innovate to improve accessibility and sustainability. When commissioning play spaces it’s about more than just the design: Compliance with safety standards, quality of installation, accessibility and community buy in as well as ongoing maintenance requirements are all important considerations. This talk will help councils understand the above and be better equipped to commission and maintain playgrounds that really benefit the community.

Back-to-Basics of VAT
Richard Strevens, Principal Indirect Taxes Consultant, PSTAX
Othello

In this introductory session, you will look at: the basis of a local council’s VAT recovery powers, what limits need to be considered and when they apply, and when does a council need to register for VAT.

Let’s Talk About Menopause!
Janet Kenne, Menopause Awareness Training
Kenilworth

Menopause has not been something we’ve talked about in recent times until high-profile celebrities started the conversation.

As women, we try to hide the symptoms as sometimes they can be embarrassing, and we suffer in silence. Now we are being encouraged to be more open.

The talk is not just for women, as men also need to know about it, so they can understand and support us. All women will go through it – some earlier than others – so it is important that we all understand how it can affect women in the workplace.

A Quick Tour Through Qualifications Offered by SLCC by The Qualifications Team
 Lesley Swinbank, Professional Development Officer & Angie Hurren, Programme Leader
Othello

Join Angie and Lesley for an informative session on SLCC qualifications, covering everything from ILCA to the MA in Public Leadership. They’ll provide expert advice, answer your questions, and guide you through your options to support your professional growth.

Unleashing Resilience from Within
Sophie Bridgen, Be Your Best
Kenilworth

In 2007, at a time when out of about 145,000 Army personnel, only 4% were female, Sophie was sent out as the only female out on tour with an infantry battalion of over 800 men. Out there she experienced a series of traumatic events, including bullying by the battalion and she was sexually assaulted by the Afghan National Army officer she was training. Sent back alone, without support and through a system ill equipped then to deal with trauma she ended up developing post-traumatic stress disorder/injury and then had to find her own way to recover. Using a blend of science and her story, Sophie talks about the cost of workplace bullying on people’s metal health and offers some tools/strategies to manage the stress that develops from encountering bullying.

How to Dream Big and Inspire Others
Bernie Hollywood
Kenilworth

Big dreams inspire big changes, mobilise resources, create opportunity, remove obstacles and empower us. One of Bernie’s many big dream’s recently at the tender age of 64 was to row solo across the Atlantic for his ‘Boat of Hope’ Mental Health Campaign was to help support young people around the world to open up a conversation on how they felt inside their hearts and minds through the use of the creative arts and adventure. To do this he needed to invest over four years of this time, raise over £120,000 for the campaign and recruit an army of people within the creative arts, armed services and the education sector to make this happen. Bernie’s talk will explain why you should dream big, and D.R.E.A.M., a 5-step plan to achieve your big dream. Bernie explores why big dreams are important to us all and how you can make sure you turn your dreams into a reality at any age of your life: Bernie will truly captivate you with his stories of his remarkable life of giving, adventure and supporting those in need. You will leave both inspired to have a big dream, and with the tools to make it happen. So what’s your ‘Big Dream’ and what are you doing to make it happen?