Issue - meetings

The Senior Democratic and Civic Officer presented the Member Development Annual Report which contained a summary of the Member Development activity that had taken place between May 2023 and April 2024. Over the past 7 months, a renewed approach to Member Development had taken place, following an Induction Review report received by the Governance and Audit Committee in September 2023, which outlined the renewed approach to Member Development. The Member Development Annual Report 2023/24 outlined the progress made over the previous year, and future actions for the next Civic year. The Senior Democratic and Civic Officer was pleased to report to Members that the renewed approach had proved successful, and there was a higher attendance rate to sessions and positive feedback on training. Officers had a log of requests and requirements from Members, as detailed in Appendix 1, and were open to receiving feedback and suggestions on improvements. The report was a living document and would be continually updated as sessions were identified and delivered.

In terms of further improvement, it had been identified that formal feedback could be improved as there was not enough data for Officers to be able to analyse individual sessions. It was also felt that the Microsoft Teams Channel which contained Member Development resources had not been actively utilised by Members and a training session on how to access this resource was being scheduled. The Member Development Group responsible for reviewing the Member Development programme, was pivotal for feedback and continuing the improvement of Member Development. The updated Terms of Reference for the group was contained in the report, as well as the proposed work programme for the 2024/25 Civic year.

Members discussed the report and expressed that they had attended sessions and felt these were of a very good standard. Members suggested online training courses which Members could log onto and complete. The accessibility of training sessions was discussed, and the speed of speakers and hearing issues were raised. The Senior Democratic and Civic Officer responded to Member comments that an online platform was previously rolled out, but the feedback was that this was not helpful. A dedicated Microsoft Teams Channel holds Member Development resources, transcripts and recorded sessions managed by the Member Development Officer, Claire Stockdale. Officers were planning to run a Teams training sessions for Members so they can get the most out of the Member Development sessions, with the use of the Q&A and other functions, as well as accessing material from sessions. Democratic Services were always available for Members to provide feedback on sessions and any accessibility needs.

Members requested more data and information on Member attendance and a list of external courses, conference and other training provided to Members at the next Annual update.

RESOLVED that

1) The report be accepted as an accurate reflection of Member Development activity for the 2023/24 Civic Year; and

2) The proposed Terms of Reference for the Member Development Group, and subsequent work programme, for the 2024/25 Civic Year be approved.