Issue - meetings

Members considered a report which provided an overview of the original Member Induction Programme, detailed the need to the revise the approach, and presented a revised induction programme, in response to feedback received.  The revised draft plan would run for the period October 2023 to April 2024 and the report sought to establish some agreed principles in organising training for Members.

This report provided the background to the 2023 Induction Programme for Members, the reasoning for its suspension, recognising the changed profile of Councillors, and offered a proposed an amended approach in which aimed to complete the original Induction Programme.

Throughout the report, there was an assumed commitment required from Councillors and Officers alike to ensure the amended programme was delivered as advertised, and that attendance by Councillors was maintained. 

There were three themes detailed within the report, explaining a tiered approach, with the intention of meeting the brief given by Leading Members that the programme should be accessible and manageable. There were also new approaches detailed in terms of alternative delivery methods, such as video briefings and online options. 

The Committee was asked to approve the new approach, and training to be completed between October 2023 and April 2024, with approval required for any subsequent actions to take place.

Debate ensued, and Members supported the revised programme and recognised the work commenced by officers with the new administration and the opportunities for more accessible sessions, with early evening and hybrid options utilised.

In response to a query about equality and diversity training, Members learned that an online training module would be created, with the programme to be delivered by April 2024, with the module potentially including information on unconscious bias.

In discussing the administration of other related training material and the programme's administration, Members were informed that further publication of the Overview and Scrutiny handbook and the Planning Committee training would occur shortly after the meeting, following approval from the Governance and Audit Committee of this report.

            RESOLVED that:-

(a)   the content of the report and current position be supported and noted;

(b)   the proposals contained with the report which would formulate the Member Training Plan for the remainder of the Civic Year 23/24, detailed in Section 3 of the report and summarised in Appendix 2 be approved;

(c)   the Officer training plan to be run alongside the Revised Member Induction Plan, referenced in section 3.6, be acknowledged and supported;

(d)   the training principles, and revised delivery methods, detailed throughout the report and summarised in Appendix 2, to be introduced in recognition of the revised make-up of the Council following the all-out Election in May 2023 and feedback received to date be approved; and

(e)   the next steps to be undertaken by the Member Development Group detailed in section 7 which would begin to inform the Year 2 Training Plan for approval by this Committee in April 2024 be approved.