Agenda item

(a)      That a ‘training needs analysis’ was undertaken of all Members by the Democratic Service Manager to better inform future development programmes.

(b)      That if Members had any suggestions for future development, they were invited to contact the Democratic Services Manager to discuss them.

(c)       That a draft training and development plan was brought back to the Committee meeting in September.

            In presenting the report the Democratic Services Manager referred to the successful Member Induction Programme which was delivered following the last Election. It was proposed to deliver a more targeted, thematic programme which would benefit Members. The WLGA were reviewing their framework which was hoped to be re-introduced within the next 12 months. Appendix 1 of the report outlined the topics which were discussed in the induction sessions and it was planned to re-visit some of the sessions to refresh and update where any changes had been made. He referred Members to point 1.05 of the report which highlighted some of the generic topics which could be included in the programme and outlined the five key areas, skills based, organisational knowledge, ethics, service or topic based and regulatory or technical sessions. The Democratic Services Manager sought Members views on what topics they thought would be beneficial and included on the training programme.

            Councillor Roz Mansell asked how much the training sessions cost. It was confirmed the sessions would be delivered by specific officers with free sessions provided Data Cymru on data management and carbon literacy training. The sessions would be free with any small cost to the Council. Most of the sessions would be delivered in house.

            Councillor Gina Maddison referred to the lone working policy and asked if this would be included in the Safeguarding training or did the Council have a lone work policy which could be shared with Councillors. The Democratic Services Manager confirmed the WLGA were focussing on sessions for this within their Framework. The Council did have a Lone Working Policy for different areas of work and he agreed to take this back as an Action. Health & Safety and Safeguarding for Members was part of the schedule and development process for the coming 12 months and beyond.

            Councillor Bernie Attridge sought clarification that it was this Committee which identified items for the Members Training Programme and asked if any training sessions agreed would be presented to full council for adoption. He asked how other Members put forward suggestions for their training needs if they were not on this Committee and commented that the Standards Committee had requested more guidance around social media. He felt it was important that the guidance was given as soon as possible as social media was a useful tool to use with the correct guidance.

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that the guidance from Welsh Government (WG) under the Local Government Elections Act stated that the Constitution and Democratic Services Committee was responsible for the training programme for Members. The Act also stipulated that Members had Individual Development Plans with regular reviews of their training schedule and needs to ensure Members were equipped with the right skills.

            The Chief Officer (Governance) agreed with the comments made around the Training Programme. Previously discussions had been held at the start of committee meetings to enable Members to suggest ideas for training on specific themes which would be beneficial to them. This could be a standard item for the next cycle of meetings to ascertain what training was required for that committee over the next 12 months. It would also be possible to incorporate training from other sources on social media, respect and how Councillors expressed their views without contravening the Code. Chief Officers were also providing training which Members would find useful. The package would be pulled together from a range of sources to enable the formation of a comprehensive and diverse programme.

            Councillor Paul Johnson referred to his time as a member of the Standards Committee. When an item was being presented to committee a training session was arranged 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting which he found extremely helpful. Having that 30-minute session on a report which included background information, legal implications and next steps was very useful.

            The Chief Officer agreed saying that the Standards and Governance & Audit Committees included a training session at the meeting prior to that report being presented. This provided an opportunity for questions to be raised for clarity and could be linked to officer work programmes. Longer sessions could be provided for more complex topics to allow more time for questions and discussion to take place. There could also be bitesize sessions which could be held at the start of a meeting to assist Members. More County Council dates had been reserved in the Members’ diary than were needed and these slots would be used for training or workshop sessions if not required for Council meetings. The Democratic Services Manager would be attending the Chief Officer Team meetings to ensure that training and workshops were incorporated into the forward work programme

            Councillor Roz Mansell asked if the sessions would be on zoom. The Democratic Services Manager confirmed that each session would be tailored to support what was being delivered. There would be a combination as some external companies may choose to deliver them remotely if they were based in London or Cardiff. Sessions had been arranged in person in the day and on zoom at night which offered a choice to Members

            The Chief Officer (Governance) referred to the convention which was being developed where one session would be provided in person in the day with the other provided remotely in the evening. Members had appreciated this approach.

The recommendations with the report were moved by Councillor Bernie Attridge and seconded by Councillor Roz Mansell

RESOLVED:

(a)      That a ‘training needs analysis’ was undertaken of all Members by the Democratic Service Manager to better inform future development programmes.

(b)      That if Members had any suggestions for future development, they were invited to contact the Democratic Services Manager to discuss them.

(c)       That a draft training and development plan was brought back to the Committee meeting in September.