## The Member Development Charter And Charter Plus

Supporting continuing professional development for councillors Produced in conjunction with the following organisations

## Foreword

The environment in which we work is ever changing and if we're to continue to meet our residents' expectations we've got to keep pace with it. That means recognising that the role of the councillor  
is different to what it was five, 10, even 20 years ago.

I would strongly encourage local areas to adopt the Member Development Charter and Charter Plus as a guide and a benchmark as part of your improvement journey. Every profession has continuing professional development at the heart of their improvement and so should we. The Member Development Charter and Charter Plus supports this continuing professional development for councillors by being a contract between the council and its councillors that commits to invest in councillors' growth and development. 

We're wardens of places, leaders who represent the interest of our residents, protectors who mitigate the impact of funding constraints, facilitators who help partners and communities work together and develop new possibilities for their local areas. Our roles are being redefined and we need to make sure we have the skills and expertise to continue delivering for our communities. The Member Development Charter and Charter Plus has provided councils with a robust framework and has encouraged member development across the sector. This year we've reviewed the charter to make sure we're capturing current and future challenges so that councillors are able to shape debate whilst continuing to fulfil their role as the community representatives.

## Guidelines

There are three essential criteria to achieving the charter:

1.	 There is a clear commitment to councillor development and support
The following lists are intended to indicate the sorts of evidence that can be used to show that the council's approach to member development meets the charter criteria. Note that:

2.	 The council has a strategic approach to councillor development
•	 There is no need to show all the evidence listed. 
3.	 Learning and development is effective  
in building councillor capacity.
•	 This does not preclude the use of other evidence that may not be 
listed. The emphasis is on a local approach to a national framework. 
•	 Some are likely to be stronger indicators than others. •	 Some pieces of evidence may be applicable to more than one element 
and criteria.
Within each of these there are a number elements and requirements to demonstrate that the criteria are being met.  These do not dictate what should be in the strategy, the nature of the content or the delivery mechanisms that should be used. The emphasis is on ensuring that all councillors are appropriately developed and supported so that they can be effective in their roles.

## Member Development Charter And Charter Plus: Examples Of Evidence Criterion 1. There Is A Clear Commitment To Councillor Development And Support

| Elements                          | Requirements for Charter    |
|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 Clear commitment from the                                   |                             |
| top political and managerial      |                             |
| leadership                        |                             |
| 1.1.                              | Political and managerial    |
| leadership is committed           |                             |
| to the development of             |                             |
| councillors                       |                             |
| •	 Established cross party councillor                                   |                             |
| development task group (CDTG)     |                             |
| that meets regularly              |                             |
| •	 There is a clear councillor                                   |                             |
| development strategy which is     |                             |
| embedded into practice and        |                             |
| regularly reviewed                |                             |
| •	 Named councillor(s) and officer(s)                                   |                             |
| responsible for councillor        |                             |
| development                       |                             |
| •	 Signed commitment to achieving                                   |                             |
| the charter                       |                             |
| •	 Councillors are included in any IiP                                   |                             |
| Award questioning process         |                             |
| •	 Clear commitment from top                                   |                             |
| political and managerial          |                             |
| leadership to share development   |                             |
| opportunities across local        |                             |
| government tiers (including with  |                             |
| parish and town councils)         |                             |
| •	 Strategies are in place to support                                   |                             |
| councillor development            |                             |
| •	 Of a strategic approach to                                   |                             |
| forward planning of councillor    |                             |
| development                       |                             |
| •	 Cross party councillor                                   |                             |
| development task group showing    |                             |
| active involvement of councillors |                             |
| in the learning and development   |                             |
| process                           |                             |

## Criterion 1. There Is A Clear Commitment To Councillor Development And Support

| Elements                           | Requirements for Charter    |
|------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 The council holds a range of                                    |                             |
| activities and events to encourage |                             |
| people to become councillors       |                             |
| •	 The council takes action to                                    |                             |
| encourage people to become         |                             |
| councillors, particularly from     |                             |
| under-represented groups and       |                             |
| evaluates the impact and success   |                             |
| of the activities                  |                             |
| •	 Council provides information on                                    |                             |
| the electoral process              |                             |
| 1.2                                | The council actively        |
| encourages citizenship             |                             |
| and publicises the role of         |                             |
| councillors as community           |                             |
| leaders as part of                 |                             |
| promoting local democracy          |                             |
| so as to encourage under-          |                             |
| represented groups to              |                             |
| become a councillor                |                             |
| •	 The council builds links with local                                    |                             |
| businesses and employers to        |                             |
| promote the role of the councillor |                             |
•	 Local democracy week action 
plan, programme of activities and 
review
•	 Youth council •	 Supports the LGA "Be a 
Councillor" campaign
•	 Citizenship links with local schools, 
colleges and universities
•	 Presentations at community forum 
events, and targeting underrepresented groups, to promote the role of councillors
•	 Prospective councillor events, 
materials, role descriptions - recruitment packs
•	 'Day in the life of a councillor' 
feature in newsletters

## Criterion 1. There Is A Clear Commitment To Councillor Development And Support

| Elements                              | Requirements for Charter    |
|---------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 Statistical analysis of cultural and                                       |                             |
| personal circumstances                |                             |
| 1.3                                   | The council is committed    |
| to ensuring equal                     |                             |
| access to learning and                |                             |
| development for all                   |                             |
| councillors                           |                             |
| •	 Timing of councillor development                                       |                             |
| takes account of cultural and         |                             |
| personal circumstances                |                             |
| •	 All councillors have equal access                                       |                             |
| to councillor development             |                             |
| •	 The development programme                                       |                             |
| includes a range of delivery          |                             |
| methods to meet the different         |                             |
| learning styles of councillors        |                             |
| •	 Councillors are regularly updated                                       |                             |
| on councillor development             |                             |
| activities                            |                             |
| •	 Budget is explicit and clearly                                       |                             |
| identified and monitored              |                             |
| •	 The budget is properly reviewed,                                       |                             |
| set and prioritised by the cross      |                             |
| party councillor development task     |                             |
| group                                 |                             |
| 1.4                                   | The council has a           |
| designated budget for                 |                             |
| councillor development                |                             |
| which is adequate to meet             |                             |
| priority development needs            |                             |
| •	 Impact of analysis of access is                                       |                             |
| monitored, reviewed and actioned      |                             |
| •	 Statistical evidence of attendance                                       |                             |
| •	 A range of learning and                                       |                             |
| development options to meet           |                             |
| individual needs are provided         |                             |
| and promoted                          |                             |
| •	 A range of communication                                       |                             |
| methods eg internet/ intranet/        |                             |
| social media is used to inform        |                             |
| of development opportunities          |                             |
| •	 Councillors confirm that action                                       |                             |
| is taken to respond and to            |                             |
| accommodate diversity of need         |                             |
| •	 The councillor development                                       |                             |
| plan evidences flexibility and        |                             |
| consideration of the timing of        |                             |
| development events                    |                             |
| •	 Budget reports                                       |                             |
| •	 Information that informs                                       |                             |
| councillors of the existence          |                             |
| of the budget                         |                             |
| •	 Minutes of meetings that shows                                       |                             |
| councillors' involvement in setting   |                             |
| and monitoring the budget             |                             |
| •	 Councillors confirm that the                                       |                             |
| budget is sufficient to meet priority |                             |
| current and future development        |                             |
| needs                                 |                             |

## Criterion 1. There Is A Clear Commitment To Councillor Development And Support

| Elements                            |
|-------------------------------------|
| •	 Appropriate and adequate officer                                     |
| resources are in place to support   |
| councillor development              |
| •	 Councillor development and                                     |
| support staff have their own skills |
| development  programme              |

## 1.5 Designated Officer/S Of The Council Have Responsibility For Coordinating Councillor Development

•	 Councillor development and 
support staff are involved in regional and national learning networks to support CPD
•	 Officer/s job descriptions
•	 Named officer/s in councillors' 
handbook or other information source that is distributed to councillors and officers
•	 Councillors are able to name the 
officer who supports their learning and development
•	 Those responsible for planning 
learning and development activities for councillors are able to demonstrate their understanding of learning and development in a political context
•	 Cross party member development 
task group terms of reference and active involvement of councillors in the learning and development process demonstrated

| Elements                              | Requirements for Charter    |
|---------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 The strategy is developed and                                       |                             |
| monitored by the cross party          |                             |
| member development task group         |                             |
| 2.1                                   | The council has a           |
| councillor development                |                             |
| strategy in place                     |                             |
| •	 Strategy identifies priority                                       |                             |
| development needs and makes           |                             |
| stated and clear links with council's |                             |
| corporate/strategic objectives        |                             |
| •	 The strategy is regularly reviewed                                       |                             |
| (at least once every three years)     |                             |
| by the cross party member             |                             |
| development task group                |                             |
| •	 The strategy includes an induction                                       |                             |
| process that is evaluated after       |                             |
| each election                         |                             |
| •	 A process exists to identify                                       |                             |
| individual development needs          |                             |
| in the form of a Training Needs       |                             |
| Analysis (TNA) or Personal            |                             |
| Development Plans (PDPs) and is       |                             |
| working effectively                   |                             |
| 2.2                                   | The council has a           |
| structured process for                |                             |
| regularly assessing                   |                             |
| councillors' individual               |                             |
| learning and development              |                             |
| needs based on focused                |                             |
| objectives                            |                             |
| •	 A strategy is in place                                       | •	 The cross party member                             |
| development task group leads          |                             |
| the evaluation of the strategy and    |                             |
| implements improvements               |                             |
| •	 Notes of member development                                       |                             |
| meetings showing monitoring and       |                             |
| evaluation of the strategy            |                             |
| •	 Member development task group                                       |                             |
| demonstrates their involvement in     |                             |
| formulating the strategy              |                             |
| •	 Overview and scrutiny review of                                       |                             |
| the effectiveness of the strategy     |                             |
| •	 Those involved in formulating the                                       |                             |
| strategy can demonstrate how it       |                             |
| links to the corporate/strategic      |                             |
| objectives and the rationale          |                             |
| behind stated priorities              |                             |
| •	 Councillor role descriptions                                       |                             |
| •	 Training needs analysis                                       |                             |
| •	 All councillors are offered PDPs                                       |                             |
| and more than half of councillors     |                             |
| take them up                          |                             |
| •	 Personal development plans                                       |                             |
| •	 Use of the LGA Political Skills                                       |                             |
| Framework                             |                             |
| •	 Council has a process for                                       |                             |
| individual councillor reviews to      |                             |
| reflect on strengths and support      |                             |
| progression                           |                             |

| Elements                             | Requirements for Charter    |
|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 Councillors demonstrate an                                      |                             |
| understanding of the skills and      |                             |
| knowledge required in their ward     |                             |
| and council wide roles               |                             |
| •	 Role descriptions are used for                                      |                             |
| the recruitment and selection of     |                             |
| candidates and to identify and       |                             |
| prioritise development needs         |                             |
| •	 Role descriptions are used to                                      |                             |
| support succession planning          |                             |
| 2.3                                  | The various councillor      |
| roles are clearly                    |                             |
| defined and outline                  |                             |
| how they contribute                  |                             |
| to the achievement of                |                             |
| community, political and             |                             |
| council objectives                   |                             |
| •	 Councillor role descriptions exist                                      |                             |
| and are maintained for all key roles |                             |
| including the ward councillor        |                             |
| •	 Evidence that councillors are clear                                      |                             |
| about:                               |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| the role of partner bodies           |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| the role of other stakeholders       |                             |
| •	 Councillors are clear about what                                      |                             |
| the council is trying to achieve and |                             |
| the key role they play in this as    |                             |
| councillors                          |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| their own role on partner            |                             |
| bodies                               |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| ◦                                    |                             |
| their own role in relation to        |                             |
| other stakeholder bodies             |                             |
•	 Systems are in place to identify 
individual development and 
support needs
•	 Learning styles and training needs 
analysis
•	 Personal Development Plans 
link to function and corporate objectives
•	 Councillors are able to describe 
how learning and development activities have helped them to carry out their role and contribute to the achievement of the council's objectives

| Elements                            | Requirements for Charter    |
|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 Structured process to assess                                     |                             |
| current and future leadership       |                             |
| development needs                   |                             |
| 2.4.                                | The council has a           |
| structured process                  |                             |
| for assessing current               |                             |
| and future leadership               |                             |
| and executive team                  |                             |
| development needs                   |                             |
| •	 A development plan is in place                                     |                             |
| that supports the top political and |                             |
| management teams in learning        |                             |
| about each other and working        |                             |
| effectively together                |                             |
| •	 Leadership development is used to                                     |                             |
| support future succession planning  |                             |
| •	 Process in place to identify                                     |                             |
| leadership requirements             |                             |
| •	 Leadership Development Plans                                     |                             |
| •	 360 Degree Leadership Audits                                     |                             |
| •	 Leaders, cabinet members                                     |                             |
| and chairs have identified          |                             |
| and undertaken development          |                             |
| appropriate to their responsible    |                             |
| area                                |                             |
| •	 Political leadership development                                     |                             |
| programmes eg LGA Leadership        |                             |
| Academy                             |                             |
| •	  A programme to develop the next                                     |                             |
| generation of leaders is in place   |                             |
| as part of the council's approach   |                             |
| to succession planning              |                             |
| •	 Events that support councillor/                                     |                             |
| officer team building               |                             |

•	 Joint events with executive and 
senior management
•	 Succession planning strategies •	 Community leadership 
development programmes

•	 The political leadership can 
describe actions taken to develop political leadership capacity
•	 The political and managerial 
leadership can give examples of how they work together as a team

| Elements                            | Requirements for Charter    |
|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 2.5                                 | There is a corporate        |
| councillor learning and             |                             |
| development plan in place           |                             |
| •	 Councillor learning and                                     |                             |
| development plan links to council's |                             |
| corporate objectives and the        |                             |
| development of councillors          |                             |
| •	 The councillor development plan                                     |                             |
| clearly prioritises learning and    |                             |
| development that supports the       |                             |
| corporate objectives                |                             |
| •	 The councillor learning and                                     |                             |
| development plan includes           |                             |
| individuals, committees and         |                             |
| political leadership needs          |                             |
•	 Corporate councillor learning  
and development plan
•	 The cross party councillor 
development task group are able to explain how learning and development activities are prioritised

## Criterion 3.  Learning And Development Is Effective In Building Capacity

| Elements                             |
|--------------------------------------|
| 3.1                                  |
|                                      |
| •	 Evaluation strategy is in place to                                      |
| analyse the cost and benefits of     |
| councillor development               |
| Investment in learning and           |
| development is regularly             |
| evaluated in terms of the            |
| cost benefit and impact              |
| •	 Political and managerial                                      |
| leadership display a good            |
| understanding of both the costs      |
| and benefits of development          |
| activities                           |
| •	 Councillors can describe why they                                      |
| did certain activities, what they    |
| learnt and what difference it has    |
| made to them carrying out their      |
| various roles as councillors         |
| •	 Evaluation strategy is in place and                                      |
| is effective                         |
| •	 Evaluation strategy is in place to                                      |
| analyse the impact of councillor     |
| development activities               |
| •	 Analysis of costs and benefits                                      |
| to the council from councillor       |
| learning and development             |
| •	 Some form of impact assessment                                      |
| at the corporate and community       |
| level exists and is used to evaluate |
| the impact of development (eg        |
| feedback from partners is actively   |
| sought)                              |
| •	 Case studies of how learning                                      |
| and development has impacted         |
| on individual and corporate          |
| performance                          |
| •	 Case studies of how learning                                      |
| and development has impacted         |
| on individual and corporate          |
| performance                          |
| •	 Notes of meetings, focus groups,                                      |
| questionnaires or interviews         |
| involving councillors evaluating the |
| impact of their development on       |
| overall performance                  |
| •	 Political and managerial                                      |
| leadership display a good            |
| understanding of both the costs      |
| and benefits of development          |
| activities                           |
| •	 Political and managerial                                      |
| leadership can provide examples      |
| and evidence of the impact           |
| and benefits of councillor           |
| development                          |

## Criterion 3.  Learning And Development Is Effective In Building Capacity

| Elements                          | Requirements for Charter    |
|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 Knowledge and learning is shared                                   |                             |
| with councillors' peers, officers |                             |
| and others                        |                             |
| •	 There is an effective process in                                   |                             |
| place for disseminating, sharing  |                             |
| and exchanging knowledge and      |                             |
| learning                          |                             |
| 3.2                               | Learning is shared with     |
| other councillors and             |                             |
| where appropriate, with           |                             |
| officers and stakeholders         |                             |
| to encourage capacity             |                             |
| building in the council and       |                             |
| a learning organisation           |                             |
| culture                           |                             |
•	 Examples of reports, briefing 
sessions, and information 
exchange systems used to capture and disseminate learning programmes of joint learning exchanges
•	 Councillor formal/informal 
mentoring arrangements
•	 Hosting case study visits •	 Developing councillor champions 
for topic areas
•	 Councillors can give examples 
of how they have supported and learned from the development of others

## Criterion 3.  Learning And Development Is Effective In Building Capacity

| Elements                       | Requirements for Charter    |
|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| •	 Continuous improvement in                                |                             |
| the approach to developing     |                             |
| councillors is identified and  |                             |
| implemented                    |                             |
| 3.3                            | The council demonstrates    |
| a commitment to an             |                             |
| effective councillor           |                             |
| learning and                   |                             |
| development programme          |                             |
| by implementing                |                             |
| improvements to learning       |                             |
| and development activities     |                             |
| as they are identified         |                             |
| •	 There are links to an evaluation                                |                             |
| strategy                       |                             |
| •	 Written reviews of learning and                                |                             |
| development activities with    |                             |
| recommendations for change     |                             |
| •	 Evaluation outcomes inform                                |                             |
| change and drive continuous    |                             |
| improvement                    |                             |
| •	 Notes of meetings, reports,                                |                             |
| personal statements providing  |                             |
| examples of improvements to    |                             |
| learning activities            |                             |
| •	 A quality assurance process is in                                |                             |
| place                          |                             |
| •	 Changes to development                                |                             |
| programmes and a rationale for |                             |
| the changes made               |                             |
| •	 Councillors can describe what                                |                             |
| has been done to improve the   |                             |
| development activities         |                             |
| •	 Quality assurance process                                |                             |
| is in place and is effective   |                             |

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