EXAMPLE COUNCILLOR BASICS

Electronic delegate pack

Thank you for booking onto this SALC workshop to help you understand what makes a good council and the role that you play. We also want to welcome you to the SALC network – developed, shaped and governed by councillors, clerks and officers. This training event is made up of two workshops which are held on separate dates. This delegate pack covers both workshops and is password protected so please ensure that you keep the password issued to you to enable you to re-access it for reference purposes as necessary.

Preparing for your training event

We expect delegates to arrive in good time to ensure that the event starts on time and recommend allowing approximately 15 minutes in case your Zoom application needs to be updated. Please read through the materials shared with you so you are familiar with the topics to be covered. We are also keen that the event is as interactive as possible and encourage all delegates to ask the trainer questions so prepare for this in advance. We would also ask delegates to be mindful that it is important for individuals not to dominate the session and allow others time to interact with the trainer so everyone has a positive experience.

Registration for the SALC member portal

As a result of enrolling for this event you have been automatically set up to access the SALC member portal. Within this are further online resources in the form of The Model Council which is linked within this digital delegate pack, providing you with access to our team knowledge base. Watch the video here that demonstrates how the portal works.

Presentation slides Session 1 contents Session 2 contents What is a council and councils and the law Working as a team - roles and responsibilities SESSION 2 Standards and the Code of Conduct Standards and the Code of Conduct

Presentation slides

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Session 1 contents

What is a council
Local councils and the law
Working as a team – roles and responsibilities
Standards and Code of Conduct

Session 2 contents

How councils work in practice
Meetings and agendas
Finance and transparency
Community involvement

What is a council and councils and the law

Slides 3 to 8 - your trainer will draw on your understanding of what a council can do. This includes the council as a corporate body (legal entity), that decisions made must be lawful, the role of the council as an employer including introducing an example of powers and duties.

Model Council links:

Councils
Powers and Duties

Working as a team - roles and responsibilities

Slides 9 to 15 - this section of the event covers the profile of a councillor and starts with signing the Declaration of Acceptance of office, Register of Interests, attending meetings when summons through to decision-making, voting and making sure actions are executed. The trainer will then go onto the role of the Chair, officers (who are the council’s employees) and importantly the role of the council as an employer.

Model Council links:

Councillors
Roles and responsibilities
Managing people

SESSION 2

Standards and the Code of Conduct

Slides 23 to 33 - how councils should work in practice, meetings and agendas.

Your council will have Standing Orders and Financial Regulations, part of a series of critical policy and procedural documents that set out what the corporate body does. They provide a sound framework for meetings, administration, budgeting and general financial management. They are likely to be model templates developed for the sector and it might be your clerk has already provided you with a copy as part of your induction pack.

Model Council links:

Meetings
Committees
Civility and Respect

Standards and the Code of Conduct

Slides 16 to 21 - standards and the Code of Conduct, the Nolan Principles and the national Civility and Respect project.

Section 27 of the Localism Act 2011 requires councils to promote and maintain high standards of conduct and, if doing so, to adopt a Code of Conduct.

In this section your trainer will introduce the concept of standards, key principles underpinning this and details of a national project known as Civility and Respect.

Model Council links:

Code of Conduct
Elections and co-option
Civility and Respect