Chapter 7 - Training
7.1 In our report in January 2006 we believed that the remuneration package would lead to increased expectations on the level of service the public should be entitled to receive from their councillors. And whilst councillors may argue that their performance is assessed at the ballot box, we believe there is merit in emphasising the importance of councillors being trained adequately for the role they are elected to carry out. In addition, the establishment of a compulsory role description and mandatory training may go some way to reassuring people who have considered standing for election but have been unclear about the support they will receive if elected.
7.2 We therefore proposed a series of requirements that should be put in place alongside the remuneration arrangements.
Role descriptions
7.3 We supported the long-standing suggestion that all councillors should have a role description and that Councils should have flexibility to devise role descriptions that are fit for purpose in their area, but they should not be optional for any councillor.
Training
7.4 We also believe that the public are entitled to have high expectations of their councillors and to feel confident that they are carrying out their role effectively and efficiently. As such, it is important that councillors actively engage with training and development opportunities on an ongoing basis. We therefore recommended that all councillors - including long-serving councillors being re-elected - should participate in a training needs assessment and agree a personal development plan as soon as possible after election. That plan should be based around the core competencies identified by the research work as being important to the effectiveness of councillors.
(a) Councils
7.5 During the course of this review we visited 12 Councils. All Councils had attempted to comply with our recommendations, with varying degrees of success, which tended to depend on the level of resources available and the time allocated to training.
7.6 In general, all Councils had offered and delivered mandatory training to members, e.g. planning and licensing. Most Councils had progressed considerably beyond this mandatory training, with training courses tailored to meet the needs of their members.
7.7 Most Councils had made good progress with PDPs. Some however have considerable work to do here and SLARC will be looking to Councils to ensure that all members have PDPs in place by 31 March 2009.
(b) Councillors
7.8 Most members agreed that training was now an essential element to the successful performance of their duties and, generally, there is an enthusiasm for participating in training. Some members felt that the time required for training was a problem alongside their other duties.
(c) Points to note and examples of good practice
7.9 One Council had offered a training session to prospective candidates entitled "So you think you want to be a councillor?" This allowed candidates to gain a knowledge of what it meant to be a councillor and the time required for the task. As a result those who stood for election and were successful had a better understanding of their role.
7.10 Several Councils provided comprehensive and rigorous induction programmes focussed on core knowledge over the first few months after the 2007 election. They also provided further bespoke training when members had a better understanding of their individual training needs.
7.11 One Council set up a tutorial group in their area committees to offer training sessions.
7.12 Several Councils created PDPs based on SLARC competencies.
7.13 Some Councils, where members had to travel considerable distances to Council offices, provided training either before or after Council or Committee meetings.
7.14 One Council had a structure where job descriptions were approved in Committee. Thereafter, members took part in one-to-one sessions which lead to the completion of PDPs. Another Council offered members a structured competency based training programme, which was then enhanced through discussion, leading to completion of PDPs. This process was further enhanced by an effort to meet individual training needs.
7.15 A few Councils were keen to explore cross Council training opportunities, whereas others were liaising with other Councils regarded as having expertise in certain specific areas, e.g. scrutiny training.
7.16 One Council made use of a Human Resources professional to discuss training needs with members, finding that members responded more positively to this approach. Another Council employed a training co-ordinator and also drew on expertise from police, fire and the National Health Service rather than just relying solely on the corporate core.
7.17 One Council provided training on handling workloads in an era of change, including situations where the public response was likely to be hostile.
7.18 Some Councils were also looking into accreditation opportunities for membership training.
7.19 A number of Councils participated in the Improvement Service's Leadership course and are involved with the Service's pilot course on Continuous Professional Development.
Councillor training
7.20 Whilst we welcome the enthusiasm for councillor training in most authorities we remain concerned that there are a few Councils where members are not given the same development opportunities. We believe that the demands on councillors are such that training is invaluable to enable them to perform their duties effectively. We therefore believe that councillors should be required to undertake appropriate training to enable them to carry out their Council duties and have so recommended.
Recommendation 20: We recommend that all councillors should be required to undertake appropriate training to enable them to perform their duties as a councillor effectively.
Improvement Service
7.21 The Improvement Service provides support for elected members including induction materials. Views from Councils were mixed with some considering that the induction materials arrived too late resulting in them looking elsewhere for assistance to provide suitable training.
7.22 They had also offered leadership training to senior councillors and a development programme addressing a variety of issues linked to leadership skills. Issues addressed on these include the challenges, risks and opportunities of shared services, media skills and political leadership.
7.23 They are also looking at Continuous Professional Development for Elected Members and a number of Councils are participating in the pilot.
7.24 With assistance from around six Councils, the Service was also piloting a caseload management system for multi member wards which would enable members to track and manage their case work.
7.25 COSLA are working with the Improvement Service to develop generic core material which could be adapted by Councils to suit their own local needs.
7.26 The main concern of the Improvement Service on delivery was one of resource.
Joint Boards
7.27 We were pleased to note that Joint Boards were also offering training to their members ensuring, in particular, that members had the necessary skills to enable them to carry out their functions as Joint Board members effectively.
Publication
7.28 The Scottish Ministers also suggested that Councils should publish, on the Council website, information on training undertaken by councillors at the same time as they publish details of councillors' salaries, allowances and expenses. Publication of training information has been patchy with some Councils providing no such information. We recognise that the emphasis placed on member training has varied from Council to Council with some offering many more development opportunities than others. We believe that the publication of information on councillors' training is important. For the guidance of Councils, we would suggest that, as a minimum, information on the numbers of councillors undertaking training and the type of training offered should be published on the Council website.
The need to work differently
7.29 In our last report we also noted that many councillors believed their workload would increase with the introduction of multi member wards. As indicated in paragraph 3.24, in some wards councillors have responded well to this challenge whilst in others there is some evidence of duplication, particularly in the number of councillors expected to attend meetings, e.g. Community Councils.
Conclusion
7.30 We welcome the emphasis most Councils are putting on the need to ensure that councillors are adequately trained to enable them to perform their duties as councillors efficiently and effectively. A number of Councils are sharing best practice and in some instances sharing training resources. This seems a sensible approach. We believe that the recommendation we made in 2006 is still relevant.
Recommendation 21: We recommend that all councillors should have a role description, participate in a training needs assessment, and have a personal development plan in place by 31 March 2009.
Recommendation 22: We recommend that Councils should publish information on councillor training. As a minimum, this should contain information on the number of councillors undertaking particular training and the type of training provided. This information should be published on the Council website at the same time as the councillor's salary, allowances and expenses information is published.