Agenda item

The Service Manager, Scrutiny and Democratic Services presented the report and reminded Committee that following concerns from Members regarding the protracted delivery of training during 2015 over a series of weeks, it was agreed that the training following the District Council elections in 2019 would be delivered in a condensed format over a 2-day period.  This was on the whole, well received and Members were now being asked to consider what format should be adopted for training new Members following the 2023 elections.

It was acknowledged that the drop-in sessions for training Members on their IPads were not very well attended and thought needed to be given to an alternative delivery method that would better introduce Members to the use of any new IT equipment in the course of their duties.

A discussion ensued and Members made the following comments:

·         the 2-day session was useful and kept Members engaged as no one training session lasted more than 45 minutes to an hour

·         the condensed 2-day training session was useful to Members who worked full time as they could make proper arrangements for taking leave as required

·         concerns regarding the level of information to be absorbed in a short space of time and the potential for new Members to feel overwhelmed

·         suggestion that more breaks could be incorporated into the training days to allow new Members to pace their learning

·         suggestion that training could be delivered simultaneously to smaller groups of Members to enable a more informal, interactive approach

·         it was acknowledged that more training would be beneficial in relation to acceptable standards of governance and Member behaviour

·         the possible introduction of a dedicated intranet page for Members to offer access to pertinent documents, agendas/minutes and online training etc.

·         a request for new Members to be furnished with a Glossary of Terms to aid familiarisation with local government terminology.

·         officers to be aware that not all Members are familiar with IT and provision would need to be made for all levels of ability

·         a request that training dates are finalised in good time and included in any candidate briefing packs.

Following the debate, the Director of Legal and Governance (and Monitoring Officer) advised that the Council was open to using different methods of training delivery including the engagement of external support if required.  The Local Government Association had an array of training tools available to local authorities that could be utilised if needed.

RESOLVED that

the Service Manager, Scrutiny and Democratic Services be requested to undertake the following:

a)    to formulate a draft induction training itinerary for new Members following the District Council Elections in May 2023, based on the following criteria and to be presented to Members at the Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee meeting in March 2023:

·         the training sessions to be spread over a three day period;

·         to target training sessions to smaller groups on a rotation basis to encourage a more interactive and informal approach to learning;

·         to incorporate online training into the itinerary as required to ensure a wide range of training topics are offered to new Members;

·         incorporating regular breaks into the three-day training itinerary;

b)    to explore the provision of a new dedicated Members’ intranet page to offer access to pertinent documents, agendas/minutes and online training etc. as required.