Last chance to attend Member Engagement Event
Date: Monday 24/08/09
Members: Have your say and influence SOLACE’s recommendations to councils
The next phase of the SOLACE’s and the MKOB Partnership’s Member Engagement Project will be discussed on 2nd September in Aylsebury. All members in the south east are invited to the event, designed to build on the work already carried out by SOLACE in the sphere of Member Engagement.
Since 2008, Chiltern District Council (with funding from Improvement and Efficiency South East) has been conducting a piece of research on Member Engagement. The research aims to identify how non-executive members in particular can take a more active role in council business, particularly the decision-making process from which they are feeling increasingly isolated.
By attending the event you will hear SOLACE’s preliminary findings which have already generated invaluable information, and contribute to the ongoing programme of research from your unique perspective as a member. Specifically, you will:
- discuss the report and identify practical ways in which councils can support members in the various roles they carry out; and
- identify options and present recommendations for implementation as part of the second phase of the project.
A senior politician will be invited to give a key note speech highlighting the importance of member engagement and a number of IT companies are being approached to see if they are interested in attending to demonstrate the e-tools (e.g. web casting, e-petitioning, blogging) that are available to support members.
The event, which will take the form of a conference, will be held on 2 September 2009 at 6pm at the Civic Centre, Market Square in Aylesbury. Refreshments will be available from 5.30pm. The conference is envisaged to last until about 8.30pm.
If you wish to attend, please urgently contact Bob Wearing on 01494 732 145. The invitation to attend is open to all councillors who have not to date contributed to the research.