Three new authorities in Wales awarded for Members’ support
28 October 2008
Two additional councils in Wales (Wrexham County Borough Council and Flintshire County Council) and one Fire and Rescue Authority (Mid and West Wales) have been awarded for the quality of support and development they provide to elected Members.
Receiving their awards, Cllr Arnold Woolley, Leader of Flintshire County Council said,
"Flintshire is proud to receive national recognition for its Member support and development arrangements through the award of the WLGA Charter.
Flintshire’s more extensive support and facilities to elected Members, made under the Charter, have been of benefit to both experienced Members and newly elected Members alike."
Cllr Aled Roberts, Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council said:
“This award is recognition of the council’s commitment to Member Development and Training. The Council recognises that changing roles and expectations and legislative change places ever increasing demands on Members, requiring that they receive effective development and support to enable them to fulfil the demands of their roles. The provision of a comprehensive induction programme for new Members, coupled with an agreed process for undertaking personal support and development interviews, will enable the Council to ensure that Members' individual and collective development/training needs are provided for through its annual Member Development Programme.
A lot of work has been done by Members and Officers alike to help the Authority to achieve Charter status, and those concerned should be proud of their efforts. Nevertheless, we see this very much as a journey and I am delighted that the foundations are in place for the Authority to build on this success and strive for further recognition.”
Cllr Colin Crowley, Chairman, Mid & West Wales Fire & Rescue Authority said,
“This award is recognition of both the Fire Authority’s commitment to personal development and encouragement on behalf of the Member Support team who develop us. Today’s award shows our dedication to being a Fire Service that actually listens to and involves our Members every step of the way. The process of working towards the Charter has focussed our attention on developing knowledge and skills to better equip Members in undertaking their respective roles on the various Committees. Throughout 2009 our Members will receive tailored training linked to their own personal requirements and we hope to be applying for Silver Charter status in the near future.”
Presenting their awards at an Annual Member Development conference in Llandrindod last Friday, Cllr John Davies (Pembrokeshire), WLGA Leader said:
“The Independent Panel have been particularly struck by the commitment and responsibility placed on the modern day councillor, the amount of hours required and the skills we all need to do the job properly. This is why they want to undertake a fundamental review of exactly what they think the role of the modern councillor is worth, as well as looking at what support we all need to get the job done.
Whether we’re leaders, cabinet members, committee chairs or front-line ward councillors – the role is ever changing and always challenging. As individuals, we need to keep reviewing what we do and how we do it. As members of authorities, we need to ensure that appropriate opportunities for development and support are available to enable us to do our job properly.
This is where the WLGA Charter comes in. The Charter provides corporate recognition of this collective commitment within an authority towards member development and support.
Whilst we now have 6 Charter authorities, there is much good work being undertaken across all authorities in the field of member development and support. The majority of authorities are now working towards the Charter, so we expect to see some more awards shortly.”
To find out more about the Member Development Charter please visit: www.wlga.gov.uk or e-mail: Sarah.Titcombe@wlga.gov.uk
For further information please contact: WLGA Press Office on 029 2046 8673 or 07747 535388 or e-mail: Natasha.Weeks@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.
• The six authorities in Wales with Member Charter Status are: Caerphilly County Borough Council, Rhondda-Cynon-Taf County Borough Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Wrexham County Borough Council, Flintshire County Council and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.
• During this year’s Member Charter awards, Flintshire County Council has been particularly recognised for:
- Having a strong member development working group which has developed and is delivering an effective strategy for member development; and
- having an excellent induction programme; and
- involving members in creating their role descriptions
• Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority has been particularly recognised for:
- Linking member development to their member engagement and modernisation agenda – so that there is a real clarity of purpose for member development
- using performance management software to support and monitor the member development strategy so that there is a record of what members need and what they have had;
- and the leadership that senior members have shown in developing and modelling an approach to personal development interviews
• Wrexham County Borough Council has been particularly recognised for:
- Having role descriptions for all members, not just those who in receipt of a SRA
- Having proactive plans in place for prospective candidates for future elections including holding open days and information evenings; and
- having regular standing slots in the members’ diary of meetings for training opportunities
• There are 1250 elected members across the unitary councils in Wales
• The Wales Charter for Member Support and Development was launched 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 was carried out by an independent review panel which consisted of a WLGA Moderator, WLGA Advisor, Elected Member from Wales, Member Support Officer from Wales and an Elected Member from England.