Valley North’s elected representative, Shellya Rogers-Webster traveled to the United Kingdom on Saturday 11th March, 2023, to attend the Westminster Seminar on Effective Parliaments; Commonwealth Day Flag raising ceremony and the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey.
The annual Westminster Seminar on Effective Parliaments is the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s (CPA) flagship event, which is attended by around seventy delegates from every region in the Commonwealth.
The focus of the sessions ranges from the role of Parliamentarians and parliamentary officials, ethics and standards, engagement with the media, and diversity and inclusion. Sessions are designed to provide space for highly participatory and interactive exchanges, where rigorous discussion takes place on parliamentary democracy, practice and procedure, as well as the various ways Parliaments work across the Commonwealth.
Mrs. Rogers-Webster was joined by over sixty other parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from around the Commonwealth. The Seminar was conducted over a five-day period and split into sixteen sessions. Mrs. Rogers-Webster indicated that the Seminar was a breath of fresh air and she found five sessions in particular to be the most engaging and beneficial.
She held a very sobering and frank conversation with the Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary, about exploring the opportunities and challenges of life as a parliamentarian as well as lessons learnt throughout his journey as a UK Member of Parliament.
Another beneficial session was a comparative analysis of the Parliamentary systems across the Commonwealth. This was particularly beneficial as it explored the strengths and weaknesses of each system as well as the complexities that exist as Parliamentarians use the systems and institutions available to effectively represent the needs of their people.
Leadership and Communication skills for Parliamentarians was led by a communication expert, Director, The Ivy Way Ginny Radmall. This session focused on developing techniques and strategies to communicate effectively to your constituents, colleagues and other stakeholders while remaining true to yourself.
Mrs. Rogers-Webster served as a Speaker for the session on ‘Using Parliamentary Resources Effectively’. The session focused on how the work undertaken by Mrs. Rogers-Webster requires the effective use of parliamentary resources, highlighted the resources Anguilla had available and what limitations existed in Parliament.
The team was also fortunate to have been assigned to Mrs. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Member of Parliament for the London district of Streatham.
In addition to having a general overview of Mrs. Ribeiro-Addy’s work, passion and priority areas, Mrs. Rogers-Webster’s group toured Streatham’s Council Assembly. There, they were hosted by Lambeth’s Mayor, Councilor Pauline George. During the constituency visit, the group visited different areas of the constituency by foot and developed a greater appreciation for the constituency office and its importance to the constituents of Streatham.
“The Westminster Seminar was a phenomenal week of learning, development, comradery and networking,” Mrs. Rogers-Webster said. “It renewed my commitment to developing a dedicated constituency office, maintaining established programmes and contributions to the youth of the district but it also exposed me to essential aspects of parliamentary procedures and functions that could help to maximize my time and effectiveness in Parliament.”
