4 - Audit and Scrutiny report Elected Member Development Development 2024
North Ayrshire Council · 31 October 2024
Back to Audit and Scrutiny Committee — 31 October 2024 and its agenda
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- NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 31 October 2024 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 13 months from August 2023 to August 2024, and on future planned development sessions. Recommendation: The Committee is recommended to (a) note the report on the Elected Member Development sessions held in the period August 2023 to August 2024; (b) note the future development sessions scheduled to date; and provide feedback on (c) the means to support Elected Member attendance; (d) how future programmes might be improved 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 August 2023 - August 2024, 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 August 2023 until Aug 2024 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 webinars. The number of internal development sessions from Aug 23 – Aug 24 was 10 sessions, with an average attendance of 8 Members per session. Individual
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Member attendance from Aug 2023 to Aug 2024 varied between attendance at 8 sessions to attendance at none. 2.4 Appendix 1 contains details of the development that has taken place between Aug 23 and Aug 24 and includes the internal sessions plus any e-learning that Elected Members completed. 2.5 Overall there were 79 separate Member attendances at development sessions between Aug 23 and Aug 24. These figures include those aimed at specific committee members (i.e. Appeals Committee). 2.6 The Council offers members an annual 1-2-1 PDP discussion to discuss their development needs. This was offered as part of a Member’s development survey but there was no take up. Take up for this is historically low and indeed there was no interest the last time it was offered. 2.7 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 August 2024 with two Members attending. 2.8 Members can provide feedback by electronic means on sessions attended. For the period Aug 23 – Aug 24 the feedback response rate was 26%. The sessions are rated 1-5 by respondents on content, handouts, presentation, friendliness of tutor, relevance and overall service provided. The feedback is primarily positive with only two 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 evaluations received for all sessions for this 13 month period is included in Appendix 2. 2.9 In addition to this 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. There is also e-learning available through iLearn. This is shown on the table in Appendix 1. 2.10 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. Some feedback was also received on potential topics for development and these will be actioned with the appropriate person where appropriate. It is not possible to find dates that suit every Member but when any session is arranged face-to-face with a hybrid option is the preferred option and diaries are always checked and the most suitable date selected based on maximum Elected Member availability. 2.11 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 first half of 2025 will be published in due course. The schedule for the remainder of 2024 (Sep – Dec) is included in Appendix 3.
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2.12 In conclusion, whilst the Council continues to offer an extensive development programme for Members, it is important that the Committee has the opportunity to review the current development arrangements and offer suggestions. 3. Proposals 3.1 The Committee is recommended to note the report a) on the Member Development sessions held in the period August 2023 to August 2024, b) the future development sessions scheduled to date; and provide feedback on c) the means to support Member attendance d) how future programmes might be improved 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 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
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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. 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, by email on phouston@north-ayrshire.gov.uk Background Papers None
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Appendix 1 - Learning & Development Attendance Aug 23 - Aug 24 SFRS Prevention & Engagement Strategy, Operational Response Tree Planting Strategy Digital Connectivity Update Cyber Security Update Housing Services Update Building Services Update Cyber Security Update Next Steps for Community W ealth Building Appeals Committee Remodelling Care Options Trauma Informed Practice e- learning Cyber Security Essentils e-learning Alan Hill Y 1 Amanda Kerr 0 Angela Stephen 0 Anthea Dickson Y Y Y Y Y 5 Anthony Gurney Y Y Y 3 Cameron Inglis Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 8 Chloe Robertson Y Y 2 Christina Larsen Y Y Y Y 4 Davina McTiernan Y Y Y Y Y Y 6 Donald L Reid Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 8 Donald Reid Y Y Y Y Y 5 Eleanor Collier Y Y Y Y 4 Ian Murdoch Y Y 2 Jean McClung Y 1 Jim Montgomerie 0 Joe Cullinane 0 John Bell Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 7 John Sweeney Y Y Y Y Y 5 Louise McLaughlan 0 Margaret Johnson Y Y Y Y Y Y 6 Marie Burns Y Y 2 Matthew McLean Y Y 2 Nairn McDonald Y 1 Robert Foster 0 Ronnie Stalker Y 1 Scott Davidson 0 Scott Gallacher 0 Shaun Macaulay 0 Stewart Ferguson Y Y Y Y 4 Timothy Billings Y Y 2 Todd Ferguson 0 Tom Marshall 0 Totals 7 8 8 6 16 6 9 6 2 9 1 1 79
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Appendix 2 – Evaluation Feedback from Aug 2023 – Aug 2024 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 Handouts and presentations Presentation of the session Tutor Relevance Overall Has the session increased your knowledge and/or skills? 20 Nov 2023 - Digital Connectivity Update 5 4 5 5 5 5 Yes 20 May 2024 - Housing Update 4 3 4 4 4 4 Yes 20 May 2024 - Housing Update 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 20 May 2024 - Housing Update 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 20 May 2024 - Housing Update 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 23 May 2024 - Building Services 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 23 May 2024 - Building Services 5 4 4 5 4 4 Yes 23 May 2024 - Building Services 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 23 May 2024 - Building Services 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 29 May 2024 - Cyber Update 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 29 May 2024 - Cyber Update 4 4 4 4 3 5 Yes 26 Aug 2024 - Re-modelling Care Options 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Aug 2024 - Re-modelling Care Options 4 4 4 5 4 4 Yes 26 Aug 2024 - Re-modelling Care Options 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Aug 2024 - Re-modelling Care Options 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Aug 2024 - Re-modelling Care Options 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 26 Aug 2024 - Re-modelling Care Options 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 2 Sept 2024 - Procurement Overview 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 2 Sept 2024 - Procurement Overview 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes 2 Sept 2024 - Procurement Overview 5 5 5 5 5 5 Yes
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Appendix 3 – Elected Member Development Schedule Sep – Dec 2024 Date Topic Delivered by Lead Comments 2 Sept 2024 (11am – 12noon) (Teams) Procurement Overview & Activity Suzanne Quinn Mark Boyd This procurement presentation gives a high-level overview of procurement. It includes information relating to the procurement procedures most commonly used, it details the procurement process itself, and it outlines the internal and external governance that surrounds public sector procurement. The presentation will also provide detail of procurement activity for the last financial year, which includes the volume of procurement exercises carried out, the total spend by category (including local and anchor spend) and the volume and types of community benefit delivered. 16 Sept 2024 (9:30am – 12:30pm) (In person) Launch of New Members Account & overview of MyNAC and Online Forms Craig Valentine/Elaine Nixon Fiona Walker On 1 October we will be launching a new Member's Account using MyNAC. This session is to introduce you to the new account and show you how easy it is to set up and use. The new account will work in a similar way to the old one, but with a more modern look and feel. We will also demonstrate the customer MyNAC account and some of the new online forms we have launched over the last couple of years. This includes forms for Waste, Streetscene, Licensing, Housing and Council Tax. Not only are these forms better for the customer, but they make it easier for the service to receive, manage and process saving the Council time and money.
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Date Topic Delivered by Lead Comments 30th Sept 2024 (10:00am – 12noon) (Hybrid) Community Asset Transfer Lesley Forsyth Rhonda Leith This session will focus on Community Asset Transfer within North Ayrshire, including the legislation, process and support available for community groups as well as how CAT fits into the wider community empowerment agenda. 25th Nov 2024 (9:30 – 10:30) (Teams) Cyber Security Awareness Gavin Alston / Fraser Cunninghamme / Stephen Quigley / James McNeil Fiona Walker In this session the Cyber Security Team will provide an update on the current cyber security threat landscape and how it affects the Council. The update will incorporate real world examples and give advice on how we can all better protect ourselves and the Council against the ever-present threat of cyber-attack. 26th Nov 2024 (9:30 – 10:30) (Hybrid) Councillor Code of Conduct Aileen Craig Aileen Craig This session will provide an update on guidance changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct and recent cases considered by the Standards Commission. 11th Dec 2024 (9:30 – 10:30) (Hybrid) Planning Allan Finlayson (Senior Manager (Planning) / Raymond Lynch (Senior Manager (Legal) David Hammond This session is for Planning Committee and LRB Members only. Course content to be confirmed
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Date Topic Delivered by Lead Comments 17th Dec 2024 (9:30 – 10:30) (Hybrid) Planning Allan Finlayson (Senior Manager (Planning) / Raymond Lynch (Senior Manager (Legal) David Hammond This session is open to all Members. Course Content TBC