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| Free taster day and training for UK Brussels staff - Beyond the Straight Banana |
| 12 August 2008
A free taster day to present ways of making the EU and its policies understandable to councillors, council staff and the UK public is being offered by leading local government practitioners in SOLACE. You can book a place at this event in Brussels on Monday September 15 by emailing Jo Benfield, the SOLACE European expert, at: international@solace.org.uk
The package - Beyond the straight banana - will give practical training on the knowledge and skills of Brussels-based staff who need an indepth understanding of UK local government functions and recent reforms at both central and local level.
As Danuta Hubner, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, told SOLACE, "The Brussels-based regional offices play an important role in relaying the actions and policies of the European Commission to the local actors in the Member States."
Full details on both the free taster day and the two-part training package are available in the SOLACE Beyond the Straight Banana leaflet.
The press constantly ridicules the EU and councils' European initiatives which can fund projects, find international partners to work with as well as informing UK councils' policy. A recent example of press coverage in a Sunday Times article highlights the difficulties faced by local authorities and their staff in Brussels.
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| Flooding, trafficking and mindsharing - 50th edition of Focus e-magazine |
| 12 August 2008
Sir Michael Pitt's review of last year's devastating floods, the trafficking of Roma children and the benefits of mindsharing are all featured in the latest edition of the SOLACE Focus e-magazine.
The new SOLACE president, Trish Haines [Worcestershire County Council], introduces her theme for the year and holds out a prize for local government, while newly arrived member of SOLACE staff, Jo Benfield examines the issue of leadership.
In the partners section, which highlights the work of SOLACE business partners, the new Gold Partner CEO, Bob Gogel of Liberata, sings the praises of job shadowing at the top level and the benefits of the science of mindsharing. Zurich Municipal tackles school fires while Ordnance Survey spotlights the potential of Atlantis mapping.
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| Scintillating programme for annual conference in Belfast announced |
13 August 2008
The scintillating line-up for the SOLACE annual conference in Belfast is announced today.
The programme is all but complete and it promises to be the best ever conference. And top officers from around the UK has responded by signing up to the Waterfront Hall event in the heart of the revived in ever-increasing numbers. Steve Benyon, Isle of Wight Council, became the 100th chief exec delegate in early August.
Special SOLACE study tours to all the Northern Ireland capital’s former Troubles hot spots along with conflict busting drama sessions will top the bill on the Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Cabinet ministers, Julia Unwin from the Joseph Rowntree Trust and a face-to-face debate pitching the protection of the countryside against the rocketing need for 200,000 new houses every year are also featuring at the Waterfront Hall. And more than a dozen terrific workshops will help you explore the issues that matter to local government.
Knife deaths in London, dealing with extremism in all its forms and community safety in general have become part of a local authority senior executive’s workload in recent years. Two of the UK’s most senor policemen, Sir Hugh Orde from Northern Ireland and Sir Norman Bettison from West Yorkshire have agreed to explore some of these issues when they speak on Policing by Consent on the opening day of the Belfast event.
And the social side of conference isn’t lacking punch either with a not-to-be missed conference dinner in The Markets in the heart of the city and a final tour of Belfast’s historic pubs on Thursday evening.
For programme details see: https://secure.solace.org.uk/conference2008/programme.htm
And to book your place now: https://secure.solace.org.uk/conference2008/index.asp
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