In this episode, John sits down with Eleanor Greene — Chief Accountant at Do the Numbers Ltd and Secretary to the Internal Audit Forum — for a straight conversation about internal audit best practice ahead of Year End.

Eleanor covers a wide range of ground: remote vs face-to-face audits and when each makes sense, what the updated Practitioner's Guide means in practice, Assertion 10 and what councils actually need to do about emails, FOI, and council phones, common governance pitfalls she sees, how to read audit reports properly, auditor independence, website accessibility, and the ever-useful Daily Mail Test.

This was recorded as a dedicated podcast conversation rather than a webinar conversion, so it's a more intimate, back-and-forth discussion. You'll also learn about Eleanor's unexpected passion for minerals and fossils — and yes, she really does own a dinosaur egg.

Get the video and slides: Watch the full webinar recording and download the speaker's resources.

In this episode, John is joined by Nigel Hayes (RFO at Dorchester Town Council) and Keira Lake (Finance Apprentice) to talk about the value of apprenticeships in local government and the full career pathway available to council officers.

Nigel explains why Dorchester went the apprenticeship route — closing the demographic gap in the 20–39 age group, succession planning, and risk mitigation — and walks through the funding available, including apprenticeship levy transfers, government incentive payments, and local grant schemes. Keira shares her experience starting as an 18-year-old apprentice, completing ILCA, FILCA, PIALC, and AAT Level 2, and offers practical tips for the End-Point Assessment.

The conversation covers the full academic pathway from ILCA through CiLCA to the Community Governance degree with De Montfort University, making the case that apprenticeships are a strategic investment, not just a cost.

Plus: does Keira ever sleep? Is Nigel worried she'll take his job? And why he's secretly a director at Dorchester Town FC.

Get the video and slides: Watch the full webinar recording and download the speaker's resources.

In this episode, John talks to Mark Tomkins — Founding Director of Aubergine — about Assertion 10 of the Annual Governance Statement and what councils need to do to ensure compliance for AGAR 2025/26.

Mark walks through the key updates in the 2025 edition of the Smaller Authorities Practitioners' Guide (SAPPP), covering domain name ownership and security, official email use for councillors and officers, website compliance expectations, and the IT and data policies every council should have in place.

Along the way, there's a bit of banter about Star Wars art, tattoos, and the best advice you could give your 18-year-old self (spoiler: buy Bitcoin).

Get the video and slides: Watch the full webinar recording and download the speaker's resources.