Important new management publication from ACSeS: Firing Up the Passion for Leadership

1. The Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS) has kept in the fast lane on management and leadership development!
2. For hard on the heels of the acclaimed Firing up the Passion for Excellence publication launched at the ACSeS annual conference in November 2009 is a new one entitled Firing up the Passion for Leadership. This is launched in Manchester on 8 March 2010 and offers an exciting collection of new leadership articles from some key movers and shakers in local government.
3. The new handy-sized A5 booklet delivers leading edge thinking in three key areas: the Leadership Challenge; the Departmental Challenge and the Personal Challenge. Contributions include: Sir Bob Kerslake (Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency) on leadership style, Oliver Nyumbu (Chief Executive of leadership consultancy, Caret) on being a chief executive and Dr Su Maddock (Director of Whitehall Innovation Hub at The National School of Government) on innovative solutions and transformational leadership.
4. On publishing Firing up the Passion for Leadership, President of ACSeS, Dr. Mirza Ahmad said that:
   ‘I am delighted to launch this second ACSeS publication which contains some exceptionally interesting articles on leadership which will I am sure add value to local government across the country. Copies of the publication are being sent to the Leaders and Chief Executives of all English and Welsh Local Authorities, plus other key stakeholders, movers and shakers in local government and the Heads of major Government Departments.’
5. However, in doing so Dr. Ahmad also said that it was important to recognise that:
   'There is a pressing need - and the time is right - for local government to be given a general power of competence to achieve excellence for the public. The important agendas for local and regional government include making more effective use of Total Place, Shared Services  and Joint Commissioning, with ever reducing public funds. This requires, therefore, great leadership from strategic partnerships and requires them all to work better together. All partnerships will demand for - and benefit from - the greater clarity and certainty of powers that would flow from a general power of competence and help local governance to be fit for purpose for the 21st Century’.
6. Dr. Ahmad therefore welcomed the spearheading initiative from the Local Government Association (LGA) in driving this important issue forward and said that: ‘ACSeS stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the LGA in helping ensure that this is a success for all’.
7. To get hold of your copy of  Firing up the Passion for Leadership (for a nominal £10 to cover production costs) contact the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors at 64, Smithbrook Kilns, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8JJ telephone: 01483 277888; e-mail:admin@acses.org.uk.
8. A further A5 publication will be launched at an ACSeS leadership summit in June/July 2010.

Notes for Editors

1. ACSeS represents Chief and Senior Legal Officers of all English and Welsh local authorities and is the professional association for managers of corporate governance (legal, administrative, democratic, scrutiny and standards functions) and statutory monitoring officers and their deputies in local authorities in England and Wales.
2. The Association plays a leading role in developing governance arrangements in local government and works closely with other associations, Government Departments and agencies.
3. The Association also provides a network for its members to enable discussion, consultation, training and development on legal and governance matters.
4. As Corporate Director of Governance (and Monitoring Officer) of Birmingham City Council – which is the largest local authority in UK – Dr Mirza Ahmad leads a multi-professional department, consisting of over 800 staff, excelling in Legal, Democratic, Regulatory, Registrars, Elections, Data Protection and Information Management Services. 
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