The Community Council has a statutory duty under section 67 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 to make a plan setting out what it proposes to do to address the training needs of its councillors and staff.
The purpose of the training plan is designed to ensure that collectively, councillors and staff, possess the knowledge and awareness needed for the Council to operate effectively. It is not necessary for all councillors and staff to have received the same training and develop the same expertise.
A new training plan must be put in place after each ordinary election of Community Councillors to reflect the training needs resulting from changes to the Council membership and to provide for the election of new councillors.
This is the Council’s first training plan but hereinafter it will review the plan from time to time to keep it up to date and relevant.
In regard to council staff, annual performance appraisals identify individual training opportunities on an on-going basis, whereas in determining councillors’ immediate training priorities an initial training assessment has been made of the essential skills needed and whether the Community Council feels there is sufficient coverage and depth across the council for it to operate effectively going forward from May 2022.
The Council has a dedicated team of staff, led by a Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) qualified Community Clerk.
Consequently, the Community Council is confident that the Community Clerk’s knowledge and expertise will help guide and support new members during the first 6 to 12 months of their term of office.
Ongoing assessments of councillor training needs will be conducted during the financial year, when new councillors have had more time to settle-in and have become fully accustomed with their roles and responsibilities.
Notwithstanding this, there are core areas to address to ensure the council has sufficient skills and understanding. These are:
In addition to these areas, the Community Council will want to consider if there are new challenges and opportunities it may wish to explore for example, such as those offered by the General Power of Competence. In which case it may decide there are new skills for councillors and staff to attain going forward from the publication of this inaugural training plan.
The plan is a snapshot of the training requirements at this point in time and will be revisited and updated periodically over the next five years, and leading up to the next set of local government ordinary elections planned for May 2027.
The training plan is attached as follows:
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