If you require any information about the Improvement Service's work in this area, please contact Mark McAteer on 01506 775558.

Working in Multi Member Wards

Research into multi-member ward working in Wales, England, Ireland and New Zealand has been published by the Improvement Service. The research explores how multi-member wards operate elsewhere and what the introduction of multi-member wards might mean for the day-to-day work of councillors and officials in Scotland.

Download the full report - Perspectives on Multi-Member Ward working - and a briefing.

2007 Councillor Induction Pack

This pack has been written as an introductory guide for newly elected councillors. It is not intended to be a definitive guide to everything that an elected councillor needs to know. Rather it is intended to act as a starting point for all new councillors and to be used in conjunction with local induction material specific to particular councils.

Download the 2007 Councillor Induction Pack

The Planning Development Programme has also published an induction pack on planning for elected members. The pack provides a basic introduction to the planning system and to the role and responsibilities of elected members.

The pack is available to download: The Planning System in Scotland: An Induction Pack for Elected Members (PDF)

Councillor Induction Toolkit

The Councillor Induction Toolkit has been created for use by those with responsibility for the induction of Elected Members to councils in Scotland.

The material and design have been produced by goodpractice.net, based on content from the 2007 Councillor Induction Pack developed by the Improvement Service.

The toolkit provides custom made resources to assist with delivery of effective and relevant workshops to new and returning councillors. Used in addition to the 2007 Councillor Induction Pack, the tools on the site will ensure that all of the necessary points and information can be covered in 90 minute sessions.

Visit the Councillor Induction Toolkit.

For more information about this material or the Improvement Service's work to support
councillors, please contact Mark McAteer.

Other organisations have also produced material about particular issues which they consider it would be useful for councillors to know about:

Shelter: Local authorities and homelessness: an action plan for elected members

SVCO: The Scottish voluntary sector: a brief for new councillors

Community Planning Network: Community Planning: A Briefing Note for Elected Members

NHS Health Scotland: How do councillors improve health and community wellbeing?

Political Leadership Programme

This programme is designed to help councillors in leadership positions in order that they can learn from the latest in political leadership and each other. A central objective is to challenge the thinking of senior councillors, broaden their knowledge and encourage them to start doing things differently.

The programme aims to:

• support senior elected members in developing new leadership skills
• develop participants' leadership style
• give participants confidence in their leadership abilities
• create a support network among peers

The programme acknowledges that leadership can be a challenging position. It provides an environment where councillors from across the political spectrum can meet senior councillors from other councils and parties and debate issues that are common to them all.

The Improvement Service is currently running four cohorts on the Programme, which began in October 2007 and will continue until May 2008. Places are still available on the fourth cohort, which begins in February 2008. Each course of the Political Leadership Programme (PLP) consists of four modules and delegates are required to attend all four modules. Further information on the Programme and a registration form can be found in the introductory brochure.

If you wish to discuss the PLP in more detail, please contact Mark McAteer on 01506 775558. For more general information, or to register for the Programme, please contact Fiona Dick on 01506 775558.