More Welsh authorities awarded for member support and development
19 November 2009
Three additional councils in Wales (Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council and Gwynedd Council), one additional Fire and Rescue Authority (North Wales Fire and Rescue) and two National Park Authorities (Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and Snowdonia National Park Authority) have been awarded for the quality of support and development they provide to elected members.
Today’s Member Charter Awards, developed by the WLGA, recognise the effort and time invested by local authorities and WLGA affiliate members* to provide elected members with access to appropriate levels of knowledge, skills and development opportunities needed to fulfil their roles.
Cllr Russell Roberts (RCT), WLGA Improvement Spokesperson said:
"I was delighted when my own authority was awarded member charter status in 2007. A lot of work goes into achieving this award, It is recognition of an authority’s commitment to the personal development of its members but also reflects the dedication and encouragement of the member support team to develop the knowledge and skills needed by members to undertake their respective roles.
“The role of a councillor is hugely challenging and even more so during the current climate as local communities look to their elected members for support and a dedicated effort in mitigating the impact of the recession.
“On average councillors in Wales spend 25-27 hours per week on council business and this is on top of their day job and family commitments. The role of senior councillors, such as leaders and cabinet members is more than full time; they are in charge of organisations with budgets of hundreds of millions of pounds, thousands of staff and are responsible for delivering many of the major services that the public need and care most about. However, whether you are a council leader, a cabinet member, committee chair or front line ward councillor, the role of an elected member is ever changing and as individuals we need to keep reviewing what we do and how we do it. That is why the Member Charter continues to be so valuable to both authorities and affiliated authorities.”
Across Wales we now 8 local authorities, 2 Fire and Rescue authorities and 2 National Park authorities with Member Charter Status although there is a lot of good work being undertaken by every local authority and affiliate member in the field of member development and support.
To find out more about the Member Development Charter please visit: www.wlga.gov.uk or e-mail: sarah.titcombe@wlga.gov.uk
Ends
Notes to Editors
• The Member Development Charter was launched by the WLGA in October 2005 to improve support and development given by authorities to members and to recognise and share good practice. The Charter is equally accessible to every authority regardless of size, resources or Political Control. We also now have Charters for Fire and Rescue and National Park authorities.
• In total, there are 8 local authorities in Wales with Member Charter Status: Caerphilly County Borough Council, Rhondda-Cynon-Taf County Borough Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Wrexham County Borough Council, Flintshire County Council, Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council and Gwynedd Council). In addition there are two Fire and Rescue services with Member Charter status: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and also two National Park Authorities with Charter status: Brecon Beacons National Park Authority and Snowdonia National Park Authority.
• The WLGA represents the interests of the 22 local authorities in Wales. Wales’ 22 fire authorities, 3 National Park Authorities and the 4 police authorities are also affiliate members of the WLGA. There are 1250 elected members across the unitary councils in Wales.
• The Wales Charter for Member Support and Development was launched in 2005 to give structure and impetus to the growing body of support services for elected members within Welsh local government. These services take the form of training and development, support facilities and support services. The Charter will provide a broad framework for local planning, self-assessment, action and review. The Charter is also aimed at encouraging networking and comparison amongst authorities and the sharing of good and innovative practice
• The Member Charter review process is carried out by an independent review panel which consists of a WLGA coordinator, WLGA Advisor, Elected Member from Wales, Member Support Officer from Wales and an Elected Member from England.