As we head further into the year, closer to the inevitable election, Hive Support and many of the other service providers who exist to support MPs have been busy getting ready to welcome a new intake to Westminster.
Transitioning from a candidate to an MP is a very unique, and quite weird, experience. You go from being the centre of everyone’s attention – where the campaign team revolve around you – to being one of 650 MPs and looked upon like the first years joining a senior school! All eyes are on you, to see how you navigate through this transition and make your mark on Parliament.
Expect lots of information to start coming your way, to help you prepare for life as an MP. We all know you will not want to give too much thought to that, as you focus on your campaign, but it is worth letting your mind drift there every now and then, and start absorbing some of the information now to avoid bombardment in those heady post-election days.
Hive Support has been supporting MPs (from all sides of the House) for many years. We (Eve and Sam, the founders) have been involved in Westminster politics for countless years and there isn’t much we don’t know about how to set up and run Parliamentary offices (in Westminster and the constituency). We pride ourselves on being a trusted support to MPs who know they can turn to us, in confidence, with any question or request for assistance, and we will be there for them (or direct them to better places for support).
We will be producing more guidance over the coming months, in short snippets, of things you might want to think about. For now, we will introduce the services we will be offering to new MPs, to help take some of the strain off your early days in your new job.
Start-up staffing package (Paid from your Office Costs, or Start-Up IPSA budgets)
Advice and guidance on using your staffing budget and building a cohesive team of staff
Access to temporary staffing support
Bespoke recruitment campaign for Westminster or constituency
Onboarding paperwork for staff already appointed
Advice and assistance with security protocols, monitoring equality and diversity processes, and right to work checks.
Caseworker start-up package (Paid from your Office Costs, or Start-Up IPSA budgets)
Bespoke set-up of Caseworker.MP software
Adding new users
Adding email signatures
Adding letterhead and digital signature
Adding local contacts
Optimizing email templates
Setting up correspondence approvals process
Setting up tagging system
Training videos for MP and staff to explain processing casework best-practice
Follow up 1hr bespoke training session
Getting staff and systems sorted early on in your tenure is a great way to start building an efficient and effective team. The House of Commons services teams offer great advice on these topics, but only Hive will do the work for you, freeing you up to concentrate on making your mark as a newly elected MP.
If you have any questions that you would like to ask, please do drop us a message (treated in the strictest confidence) and we would be happy to chat.
