08.15- 09.45
Registration and breakfast 09.00-09.45 Drop-in sessions (advance booking required)
An opportunity to talk to Standards for England team members about your specific Code queries, managing local assessment, or any other part of the standards framework
The drop-in slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be booked in advance via these web pages.
Click here to book a drop-in session.
09.15-09.45 Focus on the essentials
Mini plenary
Aimed at: Ideal for anyone who is new to the Code or the Annual Assembly
A short, sharp session designed to bring you up to speed with the role and responsibilities of the Standards for England and other key players in the standards community. The session will also provide a quick update to the Code and latest developments and gives you a chance to meet other delegates over coffee.
10.00-11.00 State of the nation
Hall 1 plenary
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed speakers:
- Glenys Stacey, Chief Executive, Standards for England
- Dr Robert Chilton, Chair, Standards for England
The session brings you the latest standards statistics and trends to report back to your authority, highlights the successes of local assessment and explains some of the challenges you've dealt with. The session will also feature a presentation from the current government minister, and include an opportunity to put your questions to the Standards for England.
11.15 - 11.45 Networking and refreshments
12.00-13.30 Breakout sessions
Please select one of the following sessions.
All sessions last for one hour 30 minutes.
Practical advice for single purpose authorities
Workshop
Aimed at: Standards committee members from fire, police, park and integrated passenger transport authorities
Confirmed speakers:
- Jim Cessford, Liaison Adviser, Standards for England
- Jonathan Eatough, Monitoring Officer, Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority & Telford and Wrekin Borough Council
A forum for standards committee members from single purpose authorities to discuss key issues relating to handling local assessment, investigation and sanctions, other action and joint working regulations specific to these authorities.
Other action: Examples and results
Workshop
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed Speakers:
- Fiona McMillan, Senior Lawyer and Monitoring Officer, South Cambridgeshire district council
- Ian Rickard, Head of Corporate Services and Monitoring Officer, Mid Suffolk District Council
- Jennifer Rogers, Ethical Standards Officer, Standards for England
- Alex Oram, Investigator, Standards for England
Explore the decision-making process, management and final outcome of a range of cases where other action has been used. Build your knowledge of the short and long-term value of other action, and discuss the challenges you've faced when putting it into action. You'll look at how the subject member and complainant might respond to the process, and share your techniques on how to deal with this. The session will give you practical resources, including a flowchart for selection of other action options, good practice examples and a quick guide to mediation.
The highly effective standards committee
Workshop
Aimed at: Standards committee members
Confirmed speakers:
- Mike Wilkinson, Standards Committee Chair, Leeds City council
- Professor Alan Lawton, University of Hull
- Anne Rehill, Advice and Guidance Manager, Standards for England
What features do successful standards committees have in common? In this session you'll get practical advice and good practice ideas from experienced standards committee chairs including:
- the right skills for a top quality independent chair
- understanding the profile of an effective and influential standards committee
- how to recruit and develop the right members
- how to build a positive profile for your committee how to establish a clear work programme with maximum positive impact.
Work with your peers to map the current effectiveness of your standards committee, set out what you want to achieve and the steps you need to take to get there.
Understanding pre-determination and bias
Workshop (Discussion and Q&A)
Aimed at: All delegates, may be particularly helpful for monitoring officers
Confirmed speakers:
- Simon Bird QC, Deputy President, Adjudication Panel for England
- Freda Sharkey, Head of Professional Standards, Standards for England
Get answers to your questions, including; what exactly is pre-determination? How do I explain it clearly to members? What impact can it have on councillor decision-making? How does it fit in with the Code of Conduct? By the end of the session you’ll be better equipped to confidently advise and support members and your standards committee.
Local assessment: Sharing lessons learnt
(monitoring officers)
Discussion forum
Aimed at: Monitoring officers, heads of legal and democratic services and other officers in a similar role
Confirmed speakers:
- Mark Hynes, Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, Lambeth Council
- David Wilcock, Head of People and Law, Burnley Borough Council
Managing large numbers of complaints, dealing with confidentiality issues and anonymous complaints, when/how to issue decision notices and case summaries.These are just some of the challenges monitoring officers have told us they've dealt with over the past twelve months. Take part in this forum to share your experiences of the local assessment process. Discuss the challenges that have come up and the solutions you've developed to manage them. By the end of the session, delegates will put together their 'top ten' local assessment problems and solutions, which the Standards Board will share with the wider standards community via our website.
Local assessment: Sharing lessons learnt
(standards committees)
Discussion forum
Aimed at: Standards committee members
Confirmed speakers:
- Malcolm Mason, Standards Committee Chair, Newark and Sherwood District Council
- Peter Blackwell JP DL, Standards Committee Chair, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
- Peter Rowland, Ex Independent Member, South Shropshire District Council
This forum allows standards committee members to focus on the main challenges of putting local assessment and the wider standards framework into action. This is a great opportunity to review your experience of a range of issues, including the composition of sub-committees, how to deal effectively with conflicts of interest and when and how to issue decision notices and case summaries. By the end of the session, delegates will put together their 'top ten' local assessment problems and solutions, which the Standards Board will share with the wider standards community via our website.
Understanding political parties
Mini plenary
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed speakers:
- Cllr Shirley Flint, Board Member, Standards for England
- Cllr Sir Ron Watson, Board Member, Standards for England
- Cllr Stephen Knight, Board Member, Standards for England
- Cllr Bryony Rudkin, Suffolk County Council
- John Williams, Relationship Manager, Standards for England
Experts give a guide to political party governance, discipline and decision making. Gain an insight into the potential tensions of the executive system and better understand the political constraints councillors can be subject to. The session will also consider the potential benefits of building relationships with party leaders and whips. How could this help you to anticipate and reduce the risk of conduct issues that could otherwise lead to a breach of the Code?
Engaging leaders and embedding standards
Workshop
Aimed at: All delegates, may be particularly helpful for independent chairs of standards committees
Confirmed speakers:
- Georgina Butcher, Independent Member of Standards Committee, South Cambridgeshire District Council
- Dr Michael Macaulay, Head of the Centre for Public Service Management and Reader in Governance and Public Ethics, Teeside Business School
- Mark Scrimshaw, Standards Committee Chair, Newcastle City Council
How do you get your leader and chief executive to engage with your work? Is it possible to put standards right at the heart of your authority’s culture and governance? What difference can this make? This is your chance to talk to standards committees who are well on the road to embedding standards and engaging the leadership of their authority. They’ll reveal how they made it happen and provide ideas and inspiration you can take back to your authority.
13.45 - 14.15 Drop-in sessions (advance booking required)
An opportunity to talk to Standards for England team members about your specific Code queries, managing local assessment, or any other part of the standards framework
The drop-in slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be booked in advance via these web pages.
Click here to book a drop-in session.
13.45-14.30 Lunch
14.30-15.30 The big debate
Hall 1 plenary
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed speakers:
- Cllr Michael Chater, Chair, National Association of Local Councils
- Cllr Alan Gloak, Liberal Democrat Member for Somerset
- David Prince CBE, Member, Committee on Standards in Public Life
The debate will hear both sides of some challenging arguments. Does the current approach to standards work? Is it fair and proportionate? What's the future for local standards? Can they really contribute to an effective ethical environment and build public trust? You decide.
Further details on the debate and speaker line-up to be announced.
15.30-16.00 Networking and refreshments
16.15-17.45 Breakout sessions
Please select one of the following sessions.
All sessions last for one hour 30 minutes.
Town and parish councils: Capacity building, peer mentoring and compacts
Workshop
Aimed at: Standards committee members, town and parish council representatives
Confirmed speakers:
- Simon Aley, Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, Corby Borough Council
- Meera Tharmarajah, Head of Legal Services, National Association of Local Councils
- Danny Moody, Principal Officer, Northamptonshire County Association of Local Councils
What are the benefits for town and parish councils who work closely with standards committees? The recent capacity building bid has developed ways to improve working relationships between councils and principal authorities, including setting up model compacts for partnership working and peer mentoring. This session shows you how to put the learning from the project into action. It will provide practical examples from the town and parish councils who worked on the pilot, and give you the chance to construct your own model compact and action plan. Examples used in the session take into account different sizes, budgets and locations of parishes, and consider the support that compacts can provide to new unitary authorities.
Managing investigations with confidence
Workshop
Aimed at: Monitoring officers, heads of legal and democratic services and other officers in a similar role
Confirmed speakers:
- Nicole Jackson, Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate Governance), Leeds City Council
- Jonathan Wigmore, Ethical Standards Officer, Standards for England
Delegates share their learning and good practice ideas to develop a checklist for effective investigations management. The session will look at practical techniques for guiding a fair and proportionate investigation. Discuss techniques for managing the expectations of your standards committee, including how to help them understand the components of an effective investigation, the differences between working with an internal and external investigator, planning realistic timescales, and producing high quality investigation reports.
Focus on determinations, sanctions and appeals
Workshop
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed speakers:
- Beverley Primhak, Chair, Adjudication Panel for England and Head of Legal and Democratic Services, Peak District National Park Authority
- Gill Cooper, Head of Legal Services, Craven District Council
- Gylian Murphy, Lawyer, Standards for England
Experienced speakers use a range of real-life scenarios to describe what happens when the determinations process does not go smoothly. Delegates have the chance to contribute their own experiences and discuss practical solutions. Case examples are examined to help you to get to grips with the levels of sanction commonly applied. The session examines examples of appeals to the Adjudication Panel for England (APE). It also provides examples of when the APE has agreed with the sanction applied, and why this is the case.
Putting the public in the picture
Workshop
Aimed at: Standards committee members
Confirmed speakers:
- Richard Scott, Head of External Affairs, Standards for England
- Neil Molyneux, Communications Manager, Rossendale Borough Council
- Tony Quinlan, Principal Consultant and Chief Storyteller
What are proactive standards committees doing to raise their profile with their authority and with the public? This workshop will give help you to generate the right kind of coverage for your work. Experts share good practice ideas and practical hints and tips for quick wins and longer term communications strategies.
Supporting planning and licensing committees
Workshop
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed speakers:
- James Button, Solicitor, James Button and Co Solicitors
- Jane Foxley, Solicitor, James Button and Co Solicitors
- Anne Rehill, Advice and Guidance Manager, Standards for England
Planning and licensing are amongst the most difficult issues for councillors to deal with – potential minefields of conflicts of interest and complex information. This session uses practical scenarios to put you in the place of the councillors on these committees. You’ll get an insight into their role and the decisions they face, helping you to provide more effective guidance, support and training for your authority.
Focus on Code changes
Workshop
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed Speakers:
- Mark Jones, Principal Lawyer, Standards for England
- Andrew Laycock, County Secretary, Hertfordshire County Council
An opportunity to increase your knowledge of the key changes to the Code of Conduct. Delegates will work through a selection of real life scenarios and build a clearer picture of how to implement the changes and effectively advise members. If the Department of Communities and Local Government do not confirm the final changes to the Code by the time of the Assembly, this session will consider scenarios based on areas of the current Code which generate the most complaints.
Effective joint working: Protocols and practice
Mini plenary
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed speakers:
- Joy Bowes, Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, St Edmundsbury Borough Council
- Natalie Ainscough, Guidance and Information Adviser, Standards for England
A straightforward explanation of how to develop and run joint standards committees, delivered by authorities that have recently put the process and protocols into practice. Build your knowledge of tried and tested joint working models, understand the outcomes of joint working in action, and consider practical examples that show how you can anticipate and deal with potential challenges.
Standards and partnerships
Mini plenary
Aimed at: All delegates
Confirmed speakers:
- Dr Stephen Brookes, Manchester Business School
- Carole Pattison, Interim Assistant Chief Executive (performance), Manchester City Council
- Steve Barrow, Director of standards, Standards for England
Practical guidance, based on the latest research, to help you to build robust and transparent ethical and governance arrangements into your working partnerships with public, private and voluntary sector organisations.
18.15-19.15 Fringe meetings
Click here for further information on fringe events at this year's conference
19.15-Late Drinks reception and conference dinner
Dress code: Smart casual