All Members will recall being consulted on their training and development needs at the end of 2005, the information from which helped to give a clear picture of Members’ views on training and development, and provided essential information for the Scrutiny review undertaken on the subject. This review was subsequently adopted by Cabinet and supported by a detailed action plan, which, over the past 8 months, Members and Officers have been working to in order to revamp our delivery of training to Members and provide a programme which is best suited to their needs.

One of the key findings of the consultation exercise was that Members feel that training and development is important, but that time contraints can cause development to fall to the bottom of the list. To overcome this, Cabinet agreed that a new modular training programme should be drawn up for Members which would allow them to train at their own convenience with the main aim being to equip Members with the core skills and knowledge required for them to perform their role and best serve the needs of the community. New and returning Members can expect to be invited to the usual induction events in May and June of this year, which will cover essential areas of training required within their first six weeks and following this, the training programme will be rolled out in stages, allowing Members to work through in their own homes. All Service Units have contributed to the production of written modules which give an overview of key facts relating to a wide range of subject areas from planning matters to time management. These written modules build on nationally recognised training resources, but have been adapted to give a local flavour, and will be supported by the more traditional workshops along with computer based learning where appropriate. There will also be an opportunity to access more in depth training materials should Members wish to do so and the modules will build into a useful resource which Members can refer to during their full term of office and which may also be used for Officer training purposes.

A Members’ training and development steering group has been formed to oversee the formulation of the training programme and continue to direct training following the elections in May. The group will provide an opportunity for Members to feedback their thoughts on the training programme, and will also consider improvements for the overall training strategy. One of the opportunities currently under consideration is the possibility of working towards charter status for member development and initial discussions with the South West Regional Development Agency indicate that the council may be able to access over £5000 funding if the council can commit to this before the end of May.

For more information on the project email dsumail@salisbury.gov.uk or call 01722 434252.

Look out for updates in future editions of the E- Bulletin for further information on this exciting training project.