## Effective Member And Officer Relations Councillor Workbook Contents

| Foreword	                                          |   3 |
|------------------------------------------|-----|
| Introduction                             |   4 |
| Defining the relationship                |     |
| Basic principles                         |   5 |
| Clarifying the working relationship      |   8 |
| Forging the relationship                 |     |
| Recognising your mutual expectations     |  13 |
| Using your interpersonal skills          |  15 |
| Relations with statutory officers        |  17 |
| Final Word                               |     |
| Summary                                  |  19 |
| Next steps                               |  20 |
| Appendices:                              |     |
| A - Ethical considerations in exercise 4 |  21 |
| B - Sources of further information       |  23 |

## Foreword

This workbook has been designed as a learning aid for elected members. It makes no judgement about whether you have been a member for some time, or whether you have been elected more recently. If you fall into the former category the workbook should serve as a useful reminder of the key features of effective member/officer relations in local government.

In practical terms, the document will take around **two hours** to work through. You do not need to complete it all in one session and may prefer to work through the material at your own pace. The key requirement is to think about the issues presented and how the material relates to your local situation, the people you serve and the council you represent.

Those members who are new to local government will recognise that they have much to learn. This workbook will provide you with an understanding of the principles behind effective member/officer relations and the importance of this for you and your council. Aspects of the guidance may also be of interest to members in specialist roles, such as those who sit on a standards committee or officers who have a member training responsibility. The document should be read in conjunction with your council's own guidance on the members' code of conduct and any protocols for member/officer relations. The workbook offers few firm rules for ward members as it is recognised that each individual must decide how best to work with their officer colleagues. This will be influenced by the nature and extent of the contacts you have with officers, any specialist roles you have taken on and the nature of the governance arrangements in your council. There is no presumption about 'typical wards' or 'typical members' and the workbook should serve more as a direction marker rather than a road map.

## Introduction

In working through the material contained in this workbook you will encounter a number of features designed to help you think about the nature of effective member/officer relations. These features are represented by the symbols shown below:
5

	
Guidance - this is used to indicate 
guidance, research, quotations, explanations and definitions that you may find helpful.
6
	
Challenges - these are questions 
or queries raised in the text which ask you to reflect on your role or approach - in essence, they are designed to be thought-provokers.
1
	 Case studies - these are 'pen 
pictures' of approaches used  
by councils elsewhere.
h
	 Hints and tips - these represent  
a selection of good practices which you may find useful.
i	
Useful links - these are signposts to 
sources of further information, outside of the workbook, which may help with principles, processes, methods and approaches. A full list of useful additional information is also set out in Appendix B of the workbook.

## Defining The Relationship Basic Principles

Officers are employees of the council -  
the people who put policies into effect and organise the provision of services. Officers may also be delegated by members to make policy decisions. But officers may have to advise members from time to time that certain courses of action cannot be carried out. Officers therefore have a duty to give unbiased professional advice - even if it is not what members want to hear.

Members and officers are indispensable to one another and mutual respect between both is essential for good local government. Together, they bring the critical skills, experience and knowledge required to manage an effective public sector organisation. Members provide a democratic mandate to the council, whereas officers contribute the professional expertise needed to deliver the policy framework agreed  
by members.

Officers cannot respond to personal criticism in the same way that politicians can and temper their remarks accordingly. Mutual respect and good communication is the key to establishing good member and officer relations. Close personal familiarity should be avoided - in simple terms, 'be friendly, but don't be friends'.

While collaborative working is the accepted norm for members and officers, it is important to recognise and take account of their different roles. This is necessary for the day to day interaction between members and officers and for the public perception of the council - by ensuring transparency between the political role of members and the professional, impartial, role of officers.

In establishing an effective working relationship, there should be clarity about the respective roles of members and officers. This is often made easier if: 

## The Seven Principles Of Public Life:

•	 both parties discuss and agree the values 
and behaviours they expect from each other in a relationship of mutual trust
•	
Selflessness
•	 members identify their priorities, assisted 
by officers
•	
Integrity
•	
Objectivity
•	 officers provide clear advice and offer 
alternative courses of action where they exist
•	
Openness
•	
Honesty
•	
Leadership
•	 members and officers communicate clearly 
and openly, avoiding ambiguity and the risk of misunderstanding

## Nolan Committee Principles

•	 everyone works in a spirit of partnership, to 
turn the council's core values and priorities into practical policies for implementation.

## Tips For Effective Working

| Do be:	               |
|---------------|
| Unhelpful     |
| Impartial     |
| Jargonistic   |
| Professional  |
| Arrogant      |
| Authoritative |
| Deferential   |
| Respectful    |
| Subservient   |
| Sensitive     |
| Imprudent     |
| Positive      |

While members and officers may have their own specific roles and responsibilities, there are clearly some grey areas in which both groups have a shared responsibility, eg agreeing workable policies and monitoring performance. In addition to this, members and officers both face the same public service agenda, ie delivering quality services to local people in a climate of tough challenges and constraints (budgets and timescales). Effective team working is therefore essential. Why does it matter?

Indiscriminate
Communicative
Evasive
Discreet
Reliant
Reliable
Friends
Friendly

## Exercise 1 - Your Experience Of Working With Officers

 
Think about the nature of your working relationship with officers. Jot down a few thoughts on:

(1)	 What currently works well?
(2)	 What could be improved?
Look again at what you have written. Have you ever discussed these with other members or officers? Can you think of any ways in which you could work with others to tackle the improvements you have identified? 

## Clarifying The Working Relationship

We have highlighted already that mutual trust and respect are essential in setting the right tone for effective working relationships between members and officers. This should be based on a clear understanding of the following:
In reality, there are few truly distinct roles and it is increasingly common for the leadership of local authorities to be defined by the close pairing of politicians and managers, who come together in tackling the challenges presented by the communities they both serve. This is not about a separation of duties but an understanding  
of the skills, knowledge and experience that both bring to the leadership role.

•	 The distinct contribution that members and 
officers make in the running of the council and the boundaries between them, eg officers must act with political impartiality, serving the whole council rather than particular groups or members.
•	 The areas in which roles and 
responsibilities overlap and members and officers must act together to provide democratic governance.

## Quick Guide To Some Of The Distinct Roles Members: Officers:

| Accountable to the electorate	                                 | 		   | Accountable to the council   |
|---------------------------------|---|------------------------------|
| Community leader for a ward     |   | Serve the whole council      |
| Add a political dimension       |   | Politically Impartial        |
| Set high level policy/strategy  |   | Ensure operational delivery  |
| Involved in senior appointments |   | Day to day staff management  |

## Exercise 2 - Jointly Tackling The Challenges Of Your Community

 Imagine your council has a new, high profile, project to increase community awareness and involvement in a campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour. This is in response to  
an increase in complaints from residents about noise late at night, groups of young people congregating and drinking, cars being driven erratically and other visible damage, e.g. vandalism, litter dropping and spray graffiti on walls. Other partners, most notably local schools and the local Chief Constable, have also reported their concerns, asking  
the council to collaborate in identifying what action can be taken.

(1)	 Identify a list of ten key steps the council may wish to consider in addressing the 
situation described, including those which could be undertaken on a collaborative basis with other agencies.
(2)	 Having identified the ten key steps, consider whether each should be tackled  
by members (M), officers (O), or jointly by members and officers (J).
Reflect on your answers. It should be clear that most of the steps you have identified could be undertaken by either members or officers, although it is likely that there is  
more to be gained from using the skills, knowledge and experience of both.

This new form of leadership is about defining clearly how member and officer relations can work to best effect and for mutual benefit. Characteristics of this relationship are:

•	 Knowing what will take place in the 
separate responsibilities of members and officers. Research has shown that the greater the degree of openness and understanding about this, the better he working relationship. Most councils attempt to provide this clarity through  
joint working protocols.
•	 Knowing how to debate, decide and 
act in a joint way, taking into account both political and managerial priorities and realities. In order for this to work appropriately, politicians and managers need to sit down as equals (albeit, sometimes, with different roles and different interests) and act jointly as  
a result.

## Membership/Officer Leadership - Clarifying The Roles

•	 How do the two teams work together? 
Building effective groupings of members and officers.
In defining any such joint working protocol, there are a number of practical implications that need to be considered. These include:

•	 Who does what? Distinguishing between 
leadership and management, ie not the usual political/managerial split.
•	 How are individual leaders to develop? 
Arrangements to strengthen the skills, knowledge and experience of both members and senior officers (eg training and development).
•	 Who is coming from where? 
Understanding and responding to very different cultures and career routes.

## Working Together For Local People In Waltham Forest

Many councils have agreed protocols for member/officers relations. In the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a comprehensive working protocol has been produced covering a wide range of areas relevant to the member/officer relationship. This includes:

•	
some basic principles of member/officer relations
•	
support to political groups and individual members
•	
the management of officers
•	
access to information
•	
media relations and publicity
•	
what to do when things go wrong.
www.walthamforest.gov.uk
 
Imagine your council has a history of poor working relations between members and officers because members are too bullish, vocal and quick to blame in their dealings  
with officers. What ideas could you suggest for improving the working relationship? Look again at your ideas. It is likely that some open and honest discussions between both groups would be useful to identify the best way forward. Alongside some formal systems for improving the relationship (eg revised protocols or guidelines for members), there may also be merit in providing some training for members on joint working or ethical governance. In some cases, you may consider it useful for group leaders to talk to individual members about the strengths and weaknesses of their personal approach to joint working with officers.

## Forging The Relationship Recognising Your Mutual Expectations A Guide To Expectations What Members Can Expect From Officers:

•	 a commitment to the authority as  
a whole, and not to an individual political group
•	 a working partnership •	 a timely response to enquiries and 
complaints
There are some challenges in bringing together politicians and officers to provide for joint leadership - particularly where are tensions around other important political relationships, eg non-executive versus scrutiny relations, non-executive versus ward relations or administration versus opposition relations. Nevertheless, it is essential that officers work closely with political leaders while retaining sufficient impartiality.

•	 professional advice, not influenced  
by political views or preference
•	 integrity, mutual support and 
appropriate confidentiality.

## What Officers Can Expect From Members:

•	 political leadership and direction •	 a working partnership
In forging an effective working relationship, members and officers will have certain basic expectations of each other. Much of this is about ensuring high standards of behaviour and acting within a clear framework of ethical g overnance. A separate, but complementary, LG Improvement and Development workbook on 'Ethical Governance' can provide you with more specific information on this. At a simple level, much of this is again about mutual trust and respect.

•	 compliance with ethical standards  
and probity requirements

## 

•	 non-involvement in the day to  
day management
•	 no special considerations.
 
Think about the nature of member/officer relations in the scenario below.  
What issues (if any) does it raise?

(1)	 During the regular chairman's briefing before papers are issued for committee,  
the vice-chair asks the officer present if she could amend a recommendation in one of the reports. He explains that this is because he has had years of experience in this field and does not feel the recommendation would be workable. He states that he tried to come in and see her the week before but, because she was on holiday, he took the file from her desk and read it. The contents confirmed his opinion. He also feels that her recommendation would not be politically acceptable to his fellow members.
Once you have considered your response, please turn to Appendix A. This provides some advice on the ethical considerations involved.

## Using Your Interpersonal Skills

	
officer relations Be yourself, without defensiveness or hidden agendas, and share your experiences and feelings to establish empathy.

A key element of your success in forging effective working relationships with officers will be your own interpersonal skills.  
As with all other aspects of your role, good communication skills will help, as will your ability to influence those you  
are working with.

Describe what you see rather than being  
judgemental, eg "on the basis of what you've said, you don't look to be supportive…". Show you understand people's situation, needs and feelings. Maintain your assertiveness, but avoid displays of unnecessary emotion (weakness or aggression) and unhelpful behaviours, eg immediate counter-attacks and talking over the top of people.

Influencing is about understanding yourself and the effect or impact you have on others. Though it can, on occasions, be one way, the primary relationship is two way, and it is often about changing how others perceive you for the better. In member/officer relations, influencing is about moving things forward without pushing, forcing or telling others what to do. All too often, if you seek to influence officers through bullying or coercion you will not succeed in winning their support - and their lasting impression of you is likely  
to be negative.

Keep people and problems separate, ie recognise that in many cases officers are not just 'being difficult' - real and valid differences can lie behind conflicting positions. By separating the problem from the person, real issues can be debated without damaging working relationships.

The personal characteristics that can help  
to positively influence officers' perceptions can include:

•	 energy and enthusiasm
Explore options together, ie being open to the idea that a third position may exist and that you can get to this idea in collaboration with officers.

•	 a calm, even tempered, disposition •	 an ability to be flexible and adaptable  
to different people and situations
•	 strong listening and observation skills
Listen first and talk second - to stand any chance of influencing officers you must first understand where they are coming from before feeling you must 'defend' your own position.

•	 an ability to act impartially or with neutrality •	 self confidence and gravitas •	 demonstrable empathy and perception.
Focus on getting the support of the 'early adopters', ie there will usually be a proportion of officers who are open to new ideas or new ways of doing things. Their support can often be influential in encouraging the more resistant to come forward, over time, in support of your views or action plans.

approach depending on how directive you wish to be and whether you believe you should appeal to officer's emotions or intellect to achieve your desired result. This is again about judgement on your part.

 Of course the way that you approach officers and the particular style you adopt in trying to influence them can take a variety of forms, depending on your personal preferences and the situation you find yourself in. Being a good influencer will require you to adapt your 

## Exercise 5 - Using Your Influencing Skills In Member/Officer Relations

 What tactics might you employ in seeking to influence your officer colleagues' views  
in the following scenarios?

(1)	 You are looking to get some officer support for a community meeting in your ward, 
during which residents will be asked what they see as being the 'big issues' for the locality. You would like the council's newly recruited Director of Community Services to attend the evening meeting with you, but have to find a way of convincing him that this is time well spent.
(2)	 A joint member and officer working party has been set up to investigate more efficient 
ways of delivering council services for disabled people. The officer representative on the group is resistant to the idea of spending time and money consulting with the plethora of groups representing disabled people in the area to understand what local needs exist, preferring instead to use published statistics on levels of disability. You understand her concerns, but believe that two or three advocates could be co-opted onto the working party to provide some useful challenge and independent views.
(2)	 A proposed rationalisation of library services has identified the library in your  
ward for closure. Your constituents are opposed to closure and you are concerned about the loss of this service in your community.

## Relations With Statutory Officers

In reaching their decisions, members must have regard to the advice given by officers and, in particular, that offered by the:

•	 chief financial officer, whose duties are 
prescribed under section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988
•	 monitoring officer, whose duties are set out 
under section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989
The statutory officers of the council are the head of paid service (usually the chief executive), the monitoring officer and the Section 151 officer. All have a duty to advise the council as a corporate body. The ability of these officers to discharge their duties depends not only on effective working relations with their member colleagues, but also on the flow of information and access to the debating processes of politicians. As such, it is crucial that you have a good working relationship with your statutory officers that are based on a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. 

•	 chief legal officer, who should be consulted 
when there is any doubt as to the council's power to act - or in determining whether any action proposed lies within the policy framework agreed by the council - or where the legal consequences of action or failure to act by the council might have important repercussions.

## Exercise 6 - The Role Of Statutory Officers

 
Imagine there have been a range of issues facing your council about member behaviour and member and officer relations. The issues have been focused around one member. Although it is clear that all is not well, the problems are 'low level' but recurrent. The chief executive is reluctant to get involved, so the issues have been left to the political party to sort out. What could the chief executive do? Reflect on your response. There is probably a fair amount that the chief executive could do. In fact, a chief executive could be proactive in (a) setting and demonstrating high standards of ethical behaviour, openness and honesty, and (b) resolving issues around poor member behaviour, if they have not been addressed and resolved by the political parties. This could take the form of talking to leaders of political parties and individuals about behaviour, ensuring training is provided to members, ensuring that any guidelines on appropriate/inappropriate behaviour are circulated to members and invoking locally agreed standards procedures.   

## Final Word Summary

The working relationship between members and officers is integral to the successful operation of an effective local authority. Politicians and managers have vital roles to play in providing a form of joint leadership which is based on shared knowledge, skills and experience. And at the heart of this relationship should be a common vision, shared values and mutual respect. 

## Next Steps

Where do you go from here?

 
Look back over the material contained in earlier sections of this workbook and consider the following:

(a)	 What key action points can you identify to improve the way you work with your officer 
colleagues, ie what three or four things might you start doing, keep doing or stop doing? (b)	 Have you identified any gaps in your knowledge or shortcomings in your personal 
skills? If so, please set these out below and identify how any further training or development might help you, e.g. further reading/research, attending courses, coaching, mentoring, work shadowing etc.

## Appendix A Ethical Considerations In Exercise 4 Scenario

Officers' reports are based on their professional opinions, although they must have regard to political realities within the council. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for a member to direct an officer in this manner. It is for the officer to determine whether to amend the report or to leave  
it as it is (in which case members must not bring pressure on the officer or direct change). Members can overturn the recommendation at committee, and this occurs where good reasons can be shown  
at planning committees. 

During the regular chairman's briefing before papers are issued for committee, the vicechair asks the officer present if she could amend a recommendation in one of the reports. He explains that this is because he has had years of experience in this field and does not feel the recommendation would be workable. He states that he tried to come in and see her the week before but, because she was on holiday, he took the file from her desk and read it. The contents confirmed his opinion. He also feels that her recommendation would not be politically acceptable to his fellow members.

## Ethical Considerations

Members' access to information must be channelled through the proper officer and in line with agreed protocols and statutory requirements. It should be pointed out that taking the file from the officer's desk without permission is not the proper way to get access to the file. The taking of files by unauthorised persons may be in breach of data protection laws. The scenario also raises concerns about members' involvement in day to day operations rather than strategic decision making. An appropriate response would be to use the officer and member briefing mechanism to exchange advance information and to explore political sensitivities prior to drafting of reports and recommendations.

In acting in this way, it appears that the chairman is directing the officer to change her recommendation, which is likely to compromise her impartiality. These actions may be in breach of the locally agreed code of conduct.  On the other hand the chairman may be raising legitimate concerns about the recommendations, in an appropriate manner, to an officer who is at a level of seniority where such challenges are appropriate.   
In these circumstances the action is unlikely to constitute a breach. Removing the file from the officer's desk and reading it may raise concerns in relation to treating others with respect, but this is not likely to be serious enough to justify further action.  
All members should be aware of:

•	 policy, protocols and/or guidance on officer 
reports and rules of delegation
•	 legislation and protocols for access to 
information and in particular the additional rights of members of scrutiny committees
•	 guidance on the role of chairman's briefing.

## Appendix B Sources Of Further Information Printed Publications Useful Websites

www.local.gov.uk 
'A Councillor's Guide', Local Government Association. 'The Conduct regime in a post-Standards Board world' (extract), Communities and Local Government,  
www.communities.gov.uk The Local Government Association website is an invaluable source of help and advice for all those in local government and contains guidance and case studies on all aspects of the councillor role. www.public-standards.gov.uk
'The Code of Conduct: Guide for Members', Standards Board for England (until March 2012 and in the LGA Knowledge Hub thereafter).

Website of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. This includes reports and research relevant to the development of ethical governance. 

'The Code to Protect You', Standards Board for England (until March 2012 and in the LGA Knowledge Hub thereafter). 'The Local Authorities (Model Code of Conduct) (England) Order 2007', Office for Public Sector Information, www.legislation.gov.uk Local Government Association Local Government House Smith Square London SW1P 3HZ Telephone 020 7664 3000 Fax 020 7664 3030 Email info@local.gov.uk www.local.gov.uk For a copy in Braille, larger print or audio,  
please contact us on 020 7664 3000. 

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