Elected Member Development
North Ayrshire Council · 28 August 2025
Back to Audit and Scrutiny Committee — 28 August 2025 and its agenda
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28 August 2025 Audit and Scrutiny Committee Title: Elected Member Development Purpose: To provide information and seek views on the development sessions provided to Elected Members over the 12 months from September 2024 to August 2025, and on future planned development sessions. Recommendation: That the Committee notes the report and provides feedback (a) on the Elected Member Development sessions held in the period September 2024 to August 2025 (b) on means to support Elected Member attendance (c) on how future programmes might be improved (d) the future development sessions scheduled to date and (e) to suggest additional topics for the next year. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 This report provides information on development support provided to Elected Members during the period September 2024 - August 2025, on attendance rates, feedback from current activities and on future planned development. 2. Background 2.1 An annual report is provided to Audit & Scrutiny which details the Council's learning events programme for Elected Members and individual Elected Member attendance figures. This report provides information for the period September 2024 until August 2025 inclusive. 2.2 The Audit Commission report on “Roles and Working Relationships - Are you still getting it right?” emphasised that Councillors need the skills and tools to carry out their role. This includes training in relation to both Council and ALEO responsibilities, as well as scrutiny, audit and financial decision making. Finally, it noted that training and development should be an ongoing process, not a one-off induction. 2.3 North Ayrshire Council has continued to offer a full training programme for Members in addition to e-learning and the opportunity to attend Improvement Service events and
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webinars. The number of internal development sessions from September 24 – August 25 was 18 sessions. 2.4 Appendix 1 contains details of the internal development that has taken place between Sep 24 and Aug 25. Individual Member attendance from Sep 2024 to Aug 2025 varied between attendance at 16 sessions to attendance at none. 2.5 Elected members also have access to e-learning modules on the iLearn system. Take up of this learning is low although one Councillor has completed eleven courses and another has completed one. 2.6 Overall there were 155 separate Member attendances at development sessions between Sep 24 and Aug 25. These figures include those aimed at specific committee members (i.e. Appeals and Planning Committees). 2.7 The Council offers Members an annual 1-2-1 Personal Development Plan (PDP) discussion to discuss their development needs. Whilst take up for this is historically low several Members have approached Learning & Organisational Development (L&OD) with specific requests and these have been actioned. 2.8 Council previously agreed that all Members who sit on the Appeals Committee should receive training before they sit on the Committee. An externally facilitated session was held in June 2025 for three new panel Members, but open to any of the existing panel. Four Members were in attendance; two of the new panel Members and two existing. 2.9 Members can provide feedback by electronic means on sessions attended. For the period Sep 24 – Aug 25 the feedback response rate was 25%. The sessions are rated 1-5 by respondents on content, presentation, friendliness of tutor, relevance and overall service provided. The feedback is primarily positive with only four ratings of 3 and everything else a 4 or 5. Generally training is well received with Members confirming that their skills/knowledge has increased by attending the training. A breakdown of the 39 evaluations received for all sessions for this 12 month period is included in Appendix 2. 2.10 In addition to provision offered by the Council, there is learning available from the Improvement Service (IS) in the form of Briefing notes, masterclasses, newsletters and more recently webinars. Our own intranet Connects site also hosts information, such as the slides from learning events. 2.11 Further to Audit and Scrutiny feedback in 2023 a short survey was issued to Elected Members. Five responses were received. Questions primarily related to the format of development events, timings, pace, etc. Based on the feedback received, Members considered that the ideal session would be face-to-face on a Monday or Wednesday morning lasting under 2 hours. Where possible over the year 24-25, we have tried to accommodate this. Sessions generally last an hour followed by some time for questions and answers. Slides of the presentations are uploaded to the intranet after each session. The breakdown of the 18 sessions by days is as follows: Monday – 9 Tuesday – 2 Wednesday – 5 Thursday - 2
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2.12 Members and Officers are consulted on future training topics and any views from the Committee are also welcome. The Elected Member Learning and Development Event Schedule for the latter half of 2025 is still in development and will be published in due course. A draft copy of the sessions already planned is included in Appendix 3. 2.13 In conclusion, the Council continues to offer an extensive development programme for Members. While attendance levels vary from one session to another and between individual councillors, on average Members attend a significant volume of development, particularly when on-line and external events are included. Nevertheless, it is important that the Committee has the opportunity to review the current development arrangements and suggest improvements. 3. Proposals 3.1 The Committee is recommended to note the report and to provide feedback a) on the Member Development sessions held in the period September 2024 to August 2025, b) on means to support Member attendance c) on how future programmes might be improved d) the future development sessions scheduled to date and e) to suggest additional topics for the next year. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 Investment in development produces more informed decisions and better outcomes. As this supports good governance and better decision making, Elected Member development continues to be an area of focus in terms of Best Value activity. Human Resources 4.2 Effective development is key to keeping North Ayrshire Council as a high performing Council. Legal 4.3 Effective development is a key component of good governance, leading to better decisions. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 Effective equalities training is essential for Members. Training in equalities assists Members to develop policy and inform decision making processes whilst ensuring that appropriate equalities impacts are taken into account. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 No Implications. A session on Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change is planned for next year. Key Priorities
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4.6 Sharing of information and knowledge through briefings and development sessions with Elected Members supports the delivery of all priorities outlined in the Council Plan. Community Wealth Building 4.7 There are no direct community wealth building impacts although trained and skilled Members will be better placed to support their communities. A session on the Community Wealth Building refresh is planned for next year. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 Not applicable United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 Not applicable Consumer Duty 4.10 Not applicable 5. Consultation 5.1 The Learning and Organisational development team have been involved in the preparation of this report. All sessions have been evaluated. Aileen Craig Head of Democratic Services For further information please contact Paul Houston, Learning and Organisational Development Adviser, on phouston@north-ayrshire.gov.uk. Background Papers None
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Appendix 1 - Learning & Development Attendance Sep 24 - Aug 25 Procurement My NAC Account Community Asset Transfer Cyber Security Update Code of Conduct Sustainable North Ayrshire Ayrshire Local Resilience Partnership Planning Committee Training Transformation Programme Ayrshire Growth Deal AED and CPR Training Multi Agency Response to Severe Weather Surveillance Camera Control Centre Cyber Security Update Business Recovery and Sustainability Implementing UNCRC Appeals Panel Training The Equal Programme Alan Hill Y Y Y Y 4 Amanda Kerr 0 Angela Stephen 0 Anthea Dickson Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 14 Anthony Gurney Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 9 Cameron Inglis Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 14 Charles Currie Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 7 Chloe Robertson 0 Christina Larsen Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 7 Davina McTiernan Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 14 Donald L Reid Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 16 Donald Reid Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 12 Eleanor Collier Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 11 Ian Murdoch Y Y Y Y 4 Jean McClung Y 1 Jim Montgomerie 0 Joe Cullinane 0 John Bell Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 11 John Sweeney Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 11 Louise McLaughlan 0 Margaret Johnson Y Y Y Y Y Y 6 Marie Burns Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 8 Mary Hume Y Y Y Y 4 Matthew McLean 0 Nairn McDonald Y 1 Robert Foster 0 Ronnie Stalker Y Y 2 Scott Davidson Y Y 2 Scott Gallacher 0 Shaun Macaulay 0 Stewart Ferguson Y Y Y 3 Todd Ferguson Y Y 2 Tom Marshall Y 1 Totals 7 9 8 10 10 11 15 3 13 9 6 12 7 9 11 11 4 9 155
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Appendix 2 – Evaluation Feedback from Sep 2024 – Aug 2025 Note The scale runs from 1 (Dissatisfied) to 5 (Satisfied) on all of these ratings, with the exception being Overall which is presented as 1 (Dissatisfied) to 5 (Delighted). Development Session Content Presentation Tutor Relevance Overall Has the session increased your knowledge and/or skills? 2 Sept 2024 - Procurement Overview 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 2 Sept 2024 - Procurement Overview 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 2 Sept 2024 - Procurement Overview 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 30 Sep 2024 - Community Asset Transfer 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 30 Sep 2024 - Community Asset Transfer 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 30 Sep 2024 - Community Asset Transfer 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 25 Nov 2024 - Cyber Security Update 4 4 4 4 4 Yes 29 May 2024 - Cyber Update 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 25 Nov 2024 - Cyber Security Update 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Nov 2024 - Code of Conduct 4 4 5 5 4 Yes 26 Nov 2024 - Code of Conduct 5 5 5 5 4 Yes 11 Dec 2024 - Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategy 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 16 Dec 2024 - Ayrshire Local Resilience Partnership Presentation on the Response to the Battery Recycling Centre fire in Kilwinning in April 20245 5 5 5 5 Yes 16 Dec 2024 - Ayrshire Local Resilience Partnership Presentation on the Response to the Battery Recycling Centre fire in Kilwinning in April 20245 5 5 5 5 Yes 16 Dec 2024 - Ayrshire Local Resilience Partnership Presentation on the Response to the Battery Recycling Centre fire in Kilwinning in April 20245 5 5 5 5 Yes 17 Feb 2025 - Council’s Transformation Programme 4 4 5 4 4 Yes 17 Feb 2025 - Council’s Transformation Programme 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 12 Mar 2025 - Ayrshire Growth Deal 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 17 Mar 2025 - AED and CPR Training 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 17 Mar 2025 - AED and CPR Training 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 17 Mar 2025 - AED and CPR Training 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 17 Mar 2025 - AED and CPR Training 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 30 Apr 2025 - Response to Severe Weather 3 3 5 3 3 Yes 31 Apr 2025 - Response to Severe Weather 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 32 Apr 2025 - Response to Severe Weather 4 4 5 3 4 Yes 12 May 2025 - Surveillance Camera Control Centre 5 5 5 5 Yes 15 May 2025 - Cyber Security Awareness 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 15 May 2025 - Cyber Security Awareness 4 4 5 4 4 Yes 15 May 2025 - Cyber Security Awareness 5 5 5 5 4 Yes 15 May 2025 - Cyber Security Awareness 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 28 May 2025 - Business Recovery and Sustainability 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 28 May 2025 - Business Recovery and Sustainability 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 9 Jun 2025 - Implementing UNCRC 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 9 Jun 2025 - Implementing UNCRC 3 4 4 3 3 No 11 Jun 2025 - Appeals Panel Training 4 4 5 4 5 Yes 26 Jun 2025 - Equal Programme: Closing the Disability Employment Gap5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Jun 2025 - Equal Programme: Closing the Disability Employment Gap5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Jun 2025 - Equal Programme: Closing the Disability Employment Gap5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Jun 2025 - Equal Programme: Closing the Disability Employment Gap5 5 5 5 5 Yes 5 5 Yes11 Dec 2024 - Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategy 4 5 5
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Appendix 3 – Elected Member Development Schedule Sep – Dec 2025 (DRAFT) Date Topic Delivered by Lead Comments 6 Oct 2025 (2pm – 3pm) Community Justice – Working together to break the cycle of offending Kirsty Baker (Partnership Manager) Stuart Singleton (Planning and Performance Officer) Elizabeth Stewart This session aims to raise awareness, understanding, and confidence in using community justice as an approach to reducing reoffending. Delivered by the Community Justice Ayrshire Partnership support team, the session will look at a range of work being carried out by community justice partners across Ayrshire, including: • Approaches to early intervention and support for when a person first comes into contact with the justice system • How partners work to address the needs of people involved in offending behaviour whilst in the community • Work taking place to support people returning to our communities after a prison sentence 22 Oct 2025 (10am – 11am) Parental Employment: Skills for Life Laura Neill (Senior Manager) Kelley Morgan (Programme Manager) Louise Kirk The Parental Employment Support Team helps parents across North Ayrshire develop the skills, experience, and confidence needed to secure and sustain employment. Through our Skills for Life programme, work placements, and the We Work for Families programme, we provide tailored support to overcome barriers, enhance employability, and create pathways to fulfilling careers. Our initiatives ensure parents can balance work and family life while accessing training, qualifications, and real-work experience. Join us to explore how we can work together to break down barriers, boost local employment, and build stronger families and communities. 17 Nov 2025 (2pm – 3pm) Planning Allan Finlayson (Senior Manager (Planning) / Raymond Lynch (Senior Manager (Legal) Aileen Craig Mandatory training for elected members was included in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and North Ayrshire’s Planning and Legal service have provided this training to Planning Committee members. The latest opportunity to do so again has now arrived and the invitation to participate in training is being
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Date Topic Delivered by Lead Comments widened to all elected members. This is to raise awareness of the Council’s National Planning Improvement Framework which will be subject to consultation and engagement with all Community Councils . The training session will provide elected members with an overview of the following aspects of the Planning system in Scotland and how this affects communities. • An introduction to the Planning service • What is Planning? • Introduction to the Council’s Planning team • Development Planning – the Local Development Plan and National Planning Framework (NPF4) • Development Management – the assessment of planning applications by officers and the Planning Committee • Enforcement • Other Planning roles TBC Code of Conduct Update Aileen Craig (Head of Service (Democratic) Aileen Craig TBC TBC Inclusion Process Lindsay Morris (Executive Manager) Sam Anson TBC TBC Digital Renewal and Sustainability Julia McMurdie (Digital Renewal Manager) Jennifer Wraith (Senior Manager) Louise Kirk TBC TBC Ayrshire Regional Economic Strategy Emma McMullen (Senior Manager) Louise Kirk TBC TBC Cyber Security Gavin Alston (Team Manager) Fiona Walker TBC
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Date Topic Delivered by Lead Comments TBC Our Islands Sarah Baird (Senior Officer) Louise Kirk TBC TBC New National Islands Plan for Scotland Sarah Baird (Senior Officer) Louise Kirk TBC TBC Community Planning Jacqueline Greenlees (Senior Manager) David Hammond TBC TBC Community Wealth Building Mhairi Paterson (Economic Policy Manager) Louise Kirk TBC