The learning curve

Anyone starting a new job should be able to expect a degree of training before they get started. You need to know how to use the office equipment and which tools you have at your disposal to actually get on with the job in hand. Even if you’ve been well accustomed to a particular role, you can still expect your employer to help you along the way with training and development. For elected members, this is even more important. Many who put themselves forward for selection as councillors come from a background of community activism, some have been involved in their local community councils, others in neighbourhood groups or were just lively citizens in their own areas. Once they get their place on a council, the situation changes. Councillors, rightly, are subject to many rules and regulations on how they conduct themselves and what they can and cannot do. On top of their work with constituents they must sit in committees and meetings, scrutinise documents on a range of issues and then debate them in the council chamber. It’s a vitally important job and one which must be carried out properly.

While it is acknowledged most local authorities have decent induction programmes for new councillors, it is often the ongoing training and development which is lacking.
In March this year, local government spending watchdog, the Accounts Commission, published a report looking at how councils performed in Scotland during the past 12 months. An Overview of Local Government in Scotland 2014 said: “It is more important than ever that councillors are supported in their role. We are of the firm view that effective democratic decision-making can only take place when councillors have the right skills, information and support to carry out their roles. It is essential that officers provide councillors with sufficient, well-researched and presented information to enable them to carry out this role. Other key requirements are awareness and understanding of governance processes; our audits confirm that there is a continuing demand and need for more training and development. 

“There is already a wide range of material and resources available to councillors. For example, the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework established by the Improvement Service in consultation with local government provides professional and personal development opportunities in a wide range of important skills. However, the onus is on councillors to ensure that they regularly review personal development plans and discuss training needs. A recent Improvement Service survey of councillors showed that, of those who responded, around 80 per cent said that local induction programmes addressed their needs. Around two-thirds felt that they had been given adequate training to carry out their scrutiny role effectively. This is encouraging but also suggests that there is still a long way to go before all councillors have the support they feel they need.”

When the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Regeneration Committee scrutinised the report last month, it called the Accounts Commission chairman, Douglas Sinclair, to give evidence.

He said while the induction training for councillors is usually good, “there is no penalty for councillors if they do not take up any other training, and there is no requirement in the code of conduct for councillors to participate in training”. 

He continued: “When they are appointed as, for example, the chair of a finance committee or an education committee or to the board of an arm’s length external organisation (ALEO), they need to understand their obligations and ensure that they have the necessary training to carry out that role. I recently met an ex-councillor who had been appointed vice-chair of an education committee—I will not mention the name of the council—and when I asked him what training he had received, he said that he had had absolutely none. How could he effectively challenge the officers of the council if he did not have the skills and knowledge to understand what the education service was trying to deliver? There is a real debate to be had about whether the training of councillors is adequate in the current climate.

“We certainly a need a debate on whether the current arrangements are fit for purpose. Way back in, I think, 2006, the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee recommended to the government that there be a standard job description for councillors and that all councillors be required to undertake a training needs analysis and to participate in training. However, that proposal was not taken up by the government of the day, which said only that councils should be encouraged to do that. 

“There is an issue with that, given the complex world in which a local government councillor operates. It is important for good democracy that councillors have the skills and knowledge to challenge officers, on behalf of their constituents, and to ensure that the decisions that are taken are well grounded.”

The subject of councillor training has come up repeatedly at the Local Government and Regeneration Committee and it looks like it’s going to remain on the agenda for the time being. It is vital that our 1,223 councillors are confident carrying out the job they have been elected to do – and their ongoing training should reflect a commitment to the role and responsibilities that they carry out.