ACSeS makes moves to merge with SLG

The Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS) is holding talks with the Solicitors in Local Government Group (SLG) with a view to creating a single organisation to represent lawyers in local government.

Speaking at the organisation's AGM and conference held at the Belfry last week, the new president of ACSeS, Susan Tovey, said that a number of meetings had already taken place between senior members of ACSeS and the SLG to discuss a merger.

She told delegates: “Over the last 18 months or so there have been two or three meetings with the chairmen and vice-chairmen of SLG.  The aim has been to see if we can work more closely and, at some point in the not too distant future, possibly merge to form one organisation that represents all lawyers in local government.  We are in the early stages.

Speaking later to Local Government Lawyer, Susan Tovey said that, assuming that negotiations could be concluded, the new organisation would during the term of next president-but-one, Mark Hynes, who is due to take over the presidency of ACSeS in 2012. She added that it was too early to say what the structure of the merged organisation would be, except that it would continue to be open to all of the present members of ACSeS, whether legally-qualified or not.

She said: "As a single organisation, we will have a far stronger voice. That's the main reason why we are looking toward a merger."

A full report of the ACSeS conference and AGM will be published on Local Government Lawyer next week.