Agenda Document Pack - Conference Allocation Committee - 24/03/2026
South Lanarkshire Council · 24 March 2026
Back to Conference Allocation Committee — 24 March 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Monday, 16 March 2026 Dear Councillor Conference Allocation Committee The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Committee to be held as follows:- Date: Tuesday, 24 March 2026 Time: 09:30 Venue: MS Teams and Committee Room 5, The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Paul Manning Chief Executive Members Gerry Convery (Chair), Maureen Devlin (Depute Chair), Ross Clark, Richard Nelson, Kirsten Robb, David Shearer 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Conference Allocation Committee held on 28 October 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 3 - 4 Item(s) for Decision 3 Elected Member Representation at Conferences, etc Report dated 16 March 2026 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 5 - 8 Urgent Business 4 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Lynne Wyllie Clerk Telephone: 01698 455361 Clerk Email: lynne.wyllie@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 2
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CONFERENCE ALLOCATION COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via MS Teams and in Committee Room 5, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 28 October 2025 Chair: Councillor Gerry Convery Councillors Present: Councillor Ross Clark, Councillor Maureen Devlin (Depute), Councillor Kirsten Robb, Councillor David Shearer Councillor's Apology: Councillor Richard Nelson Attending: Finance and Corporate Resources L Wyllie, Administration Assistant 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Conference Allocation Committee held on 19 August 2025 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 4 Elected Member Representation at Conferences, etc Dealt with in Terms of Standing Order No 38(c) A report dated 17 September 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 38(c), because of the timescales involved, by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, to approve member attendance at a conference. The Committee decided: that the action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 38(c), by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, to approve the attendance of Councillor Falconer at the NAC Conference and Regional AGM organised by the National Association of Councillors between 3 and 5 October 2025, be noted. 2 3
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5 Item of Urgent Business – Elected Member Representation at Conferences – Late Notice of Additional Conference In view of the requirement to deal with this matter and to allow arrangements for elected member representation to be made in advance of the date of the conference, the Chair decided, in terms of Standing Order No 4, that consideration be given to member representation, as a matter of urgency, at the “The Role of Councillors in Shaping Education Policy” conference, organised by the National Association of Councillors (NAC), to be held in Carlisle between 14 and 16 November 2025. The Committee decided: that the Council be represented by Councillor Falconer at the “The Role of Councillors in Shaping Education Policy” conference, organised by the National Association of Councillors, to be held in Carlisle between 14 and 16 November 2025. 4
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Conference Allocation Committee Date of Meeting: 24 March 2026 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Elected Member Representation at Conferences, etc 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide details on the following conferences that the Council has been invited to attend to allow elected member representation to be determined:- “Youth Engagement in Politics/Navigating Social Media” conference organised by the National Association of Councillors (NAC) to take place between 27 and 29 March 2026 in Scarborough “Next Steps for the Health and Social Care System in Scotland” online conference organised by Scotland Policy Conferences on 18 May 2026 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to:- [recs] (1) approve the attendance of Councillor Falconer at the “Youth Engagement in Politics/Navigating Social Media” conference organised by the National Association of Councillors (NAC) to take place between 27 and 29 March 2026 in Scarborough; and (2) approve the attendance of Councillors Logan and Walker at the “Next Steps for the Health and Social Care System in Scotland” online conference organised by Scotland Policy Conference on 18 May 2026. 3. Background 3.1. In accordance with procedures, details of the conference have been issued to the Leaders of the Political Groups. Their comments are available to assist the Conference Allocation Committee with its consideration of particular invitations. 3.2. Councillor Falconer, as a representative on the National Association of Councillors, had expressed an interest in attending the conference noted above. The cost of attending this conference is £350.00 plus VAT and accommodation costs. 3.3. Councillor Logan, as the Council’s representative on the Lanarkshire NHS Board, and Councillor Walker, as Chair of South Lanarkshire Council’s Social Work Resources Committee and Chair of the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB), had expressed an interest in attending the online conference noted above. The cost of attending this online conference is £299.00 plus VAT. 3 5
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4. Employee Implications 4.1. There are no employee implications. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. Delegate fees associated with members’ attendance at conferences can be met from within the existing budget. 5.2. The annual budget for attendance at Conferences and associated travel, subsistence and accommodation is £9,000, actual spend to date is £4,560 leaving a remaining balance of £4,440. 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. Attendance at conferences contributes to individual members’ learning and development profiles. In terms of good governance, it is important that elected members have the opportunity to attend events which keep them briefed on current developments and reinforce the knowledge and skills required to enable them to fulfil their role. 7.2. There are no other implications in terms of risk or sustainability associated with the content of this report. 8 Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 8.1. There is no requirement to carry out an impact assessment in terms of the proposals contained within this report. 8.2. Other than consultation with the appropriate elected members in terms of the process established for dealing with invitations received to attend conferences and seminars, no formal consultation was required. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 16 March 2026 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References ♦ None List of Background Papers ♦ Invitations received in respect of individual conferences, etc 6
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Lynne Wyllie, Administration Assistant Ext: 5361 (Tel: 01698 455361) E-mail: lynne.wyllie@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 7
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