Agenda item

The WLGA issued revised drafts of the updated competency framework for

councillors and the new induction curriculum for members following the May 2022 local

elections.  Both were updated since they were last revised in 2017 to reflect the

changes in members’ roles and new legislative requirements. The draft documents were

presented at a meeting of the Lead Members and Officers for Member Support and

Development Network on 2February 2021, which was attended by the Chair of the

Democratic Services Committee and Governance Support officers. The Committee was

asked to consider the draft documents and formulate any comments or suggested

revisions.

The WLGA were looking to deliver this via e-modules, further information would be put to the committee when it was developed. 

Following the network meeting, the Chair considered that the framework was thorough and sensibly put.

Councillor K Thomas commented that framework was extremely comprehensive from a councillor’s perspective and had generally improved considerably, with more effort and constructive thought being put into the document which was a move in the right direction.

Councillor Hughes echoed the above comments adding that it was useful for potential candidates to see the framework.  As a new councillor, the most important role was that of Democratic Services itself and the important work and support that they gave.  With regard to e-Learning, there might be councillors that need to be facilitated, as they may not have devices, or have disabilities, such as a visual impairment.

Councillor M Evans, agreed that the e-Learning platforms should be relatively simply designed for Councillors.  There was an incredible amount of information and if councillors were to be encouraged to access these, modules could be streamlined.  There were 37 modules, which was far too many and these should be streamlined.  Councillor M Evans also preferred attending the Civic to meet with councillors at training sessions. 

Councillor T Watkins echoed the comments above and mentioned connectivity issues in various areas of Newport.  The volume of training was substantial and suggested that existing councillors buddy up with new councillors to give support.

The Chair mentioned that IT literacy should not be a requirement, as some people might not use computers but were still eloquent and worked hard for their community.

Councillor C Evans considered that the role should not be restrictive and that some councillors had good networks, even those that could not read or write. Councillor therefore did not want to see this being mandatory and felt that face to face contact was also important adding that people that choose not to use IT should not be excluded.  It was therefore up to the electorate to vote these people into the council.

Councillor Whitcutt suggested reducing the modules to core modules along with undertaking an assessment to identify the basics that were required to be a competent councillor, followed by best practice to undertake further modules.

The Head of Law and Regulation advised that the reasons for the modules was not to be being onerous. Not all modules were mandatory and training was tailored to the councillors needs.  The Code of Conduct was mandatory as well as Licensing and Planning Committee training and the rest of modules were voluntary and discretionary.  The modules were to help members in their roles.  With regard to the comments about IT literacy, the Democratic Services Officers did help members at induction on how to access laptops and emails. Again, this was tailoring to the individual.

The WLGA were also developing a generic platform not just for e-Learning and they acknowledged there would be a training need at local level and these were just general training modules as a background to help develop the role of councillors.  Workshops rather than remote training might be carried out if this was the preference.

Councillor M Evans advised that the only issue was to feed back to WLGA that if faced with 37 modules relevant to all councillors, some councillors might feel obligated to complete as many as they could and there were far too many.

The Head of Law and Regulation reiterated that the WLGA put in place the modules to cover every aspect of the role of a councillor, but some members might not need the training.  For example, if a councillor did not attend a particular committee that a module had covered in its training package, the councillor did not need to complete that relevant module.

Councillor K Thomas mentioned that the role of councillor was a very demanding job, there would therefore be areas that could be improved upon through these training modules and would enable councillors to improve their role.

Councillor C Evans suggested there was a need to access mandatory training, however consideration could be given to those councillors not in substantial roles and modules could be broken down into comprehensive categories.

Councillor Whitcutt advised that training should be focused and that this had improved greatly over the past 20 years.  The WLGA were there to help not hinder councillors and modules produced in collaboration with Welsh Government were to help support members. 

Councillor Hourahine considered there was a difference between mandatory and optional training and qualitative training.  There was a need for more quantifiable training and officers should be providing the support for councillors.

The Head of Law and Regulation advised that the framework was not prescriptive and the council could develop its own induction programme. If councillors therefore gave feedback to the council, we could tailor the training to their needs.  There would be no cost implications with internal training such as Code of Conduct, Governance and Scrutiny training.  Other than Licensing and Planning, which was covered under the training budget.

Recommendation:

That the Committee considered the draft Competency Framework and Induction Curriculum for Members following the May 2022 local elections and would provide the above comments and suggested revisions as discussed.