AGENDA
AGENDA
Pwyllgor PWYLLGOR GWASANAETHAU DEMOCRATAIDD
Dyddiad ac amser y cyfarfod
DYDD LLUN, 19 GORFFENNAF 2021, 4.30 PM
Lleoliad YSTAFELL BWYLLGOR 4 - NEUADD Y SIR
Aelodaeth Cynghorydd Xxxxx-Xxxxxxxxx (Cadeirydd)
Cynghorwyr Xxxxx-Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxx a/xx Xxxx
1 Ymddiheuriadau am Absenoldeb
Derbyn ymddiheuriadau am absenoldeb.
2 Penodi Cadeirydd ac Aelodau'r Pwyllgor
Penododd y Cyngor, yn ei gyfarfod blynyddol ar 27 Mai 2021, y Cynghorydd Xxxx Xxxxx-Xxxxxxxxx yn Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor hwn a’r Aelodau canlynol i’r Pwyllgor hwn:
Y Cynghorwyr Xxxxxx, Xxxxx-Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxx x Xxxx.
3 Cylch Gorchwyl
Cytunodd y Cyngor, yn ei gyfarfod blynyddol ar 27 Mai 2021, ar y Cylch Gorchwyl canlynol:
• Ymgymryd â swyddogaeth yr awdurdod lleol o ran penodi Pennaeth y Gwasanaethau Democrataidd;
• Parhau i adolygu digonolrwydd y ddarpariaeth o staff, adeiladau ac adnoddau eraill a ddarperir i gyflawni swyddogaethau gwasanaethau democrataidd yr Awdurdod.
• Gwneud adroddiadau, o leiaf unwaith y flwyddyn, i’r Cyngor llawn mewn perthynas â’r materion hyn.
4 Datgan Buddiannau
I’w gwneud ar ddechrau'r eitem agenda xxx sylw, yn unol â Chod Ymddygiad yr Aelodau.
Trwy dderbyn y Pecyn Agenda hwn yn electronig, rydych wedi achub yr awdurdod tua. £ 4.33 mewn costau argraffu
5 Cofnodion (Tudalennau 3 - 8)
Cymeradwyo cofnodion y cyfarfod a gynhaliwyd ar 24 Mai 2021 fel cofnod cywir.
6 Gwasanaethau Democrataidd - Gweithgareddau a Chymorth (Tudalennau 9 - 18)
Adroddiad Pennaeth y Gwasanaethau Democrataidd.
7 Adroddiad Cyngor Amrywiol (Tudalennau 19 - 56)
Adroddiad Pennaeth y Gwasanaethau Democrataidd.
8 Digwyddiad i Ymgeiswyr (Tudalennau 57 - 62)
Adroddiad Pennaeth y Gwasanaethau Democrataidd.
9 Adolygiad o Ddogfennau Allweddol (Tudalennau 63 - 146)
Adroddiad Pennaeth y Gwasanaethau Democrataidd.
10 Blaenraglen Waith (Tudalennau 147 - 152)
Adroddiad Pennaeth y Gwasanaethau Democrataidd.
11 Eitemau Xxxx (os oes rhai)
12 Dyddiad y Cyfarfod Nesaf
Bydd cyfarfod nesaf y Pwyllgor Gwasanaethau Democrataidd ddydd Llun 18 Hydref 2021 am 5.00 pm.
Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Cyfarwyddwr Llywodraethu a Gwasanaethau Cyfreithiol
Dyddiad: Dydd Mawrth, 13 Gorffennaf 2021
Cyswllt: Xxxx Xxxx, 02920 873434, XXxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
DEMOCRATIC SERVICES COMMITTEE 24 MAY 2021
Present: Councillor Xxxxx-Xxxxxxxxx(Chairperson)
Councillors Xxxxx-Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxx and Xxxx
35 : DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
The Chairperson reminded Members of their responsibility under Part III of the Members’ Code of Conduct to declare any interest in general terms and to complete personal interest forms at the start of the meeting and then, prior to the commencement of the discussion of the item in question, specify whether it is a personal or prejudicial interest. If the interest is prejudicial, Members would be asked to leave the meeting and if the interest is personal, Members would be invited to stay, speak and vote.
36 : MINUTES
To minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2020 were approved by the Committee as a correct record and were signed by the Chairperson.
37 : DEMOCRATIC SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT 2020
The Democratic Services Committee considered the contents of its Annual Report for 2020 and approve the arrangements for the report to be finalised and presented to full Council.
The Committee noted the adaptations the service had taken to deal with COVID-19. Remote Meetings
Under statutory powers granted in the Coronavirus Act 2020, the Welsh Ministers issued The Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (‘the Regulations’), which temporarily relaxed the rules governing local authority meetings during the coronavirus response period.
The Regulations came into force on 22nd April 2020 and were to remain in effect until 30th April 2021. The Regulations allowed meetings of a local authority to be held remotely using any equipment or facility which allowed Members to speak to, and be heard by, each other (whether or not Members can also see each other). The new rules on remote attendance applied to any meetings of the Council, Cabinet, Committees or Joint Committees (or Community Councils) held before 1st May 2021.
Officers produced an Elected Member Protocol for Remote Meetings, covering pre- meeting preparation and effective Elected Member participation in a remote Microsoft Teams meeting.
Webcasting of remote meetings could not be provided with the existing equipment and an alternative solution was procured which enabled “screen capture” of the remote meetings which could then be published remotely to the webcasting provider. As a result the authority has successfully held 87 remote meetings which have been either recorded and uploaded or streamed live to the Council’s webcasting website.
The Committee was advised that Electoral Services had successfully delivered both the Senydd and Police and Crime Commissioner under the current COVID-19 restrictions.
The Covid-19 Scrutiny Panel consisting of the five Scrutiny Chairs, was established following agreement at the May 2020 Council meeting. It met three times in June and July 2020 to carry out measured and proportionate scrutiny of the business critical decisions due to be made by the Cabinet. All Scrutiny Committee Members were afforded the opportunity to contribute lines of enquiry to ensure the Panel benefitted from the knowledge and experience of Scrutiny Members.
RESOLVED:
The Committee was recommended to:
1) Provide comments on the content of the Committee’s Annual Report 2020
2) Delegate authority to the Head of Democratic Services, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, to finalise the Annual Report, having regard to comments provided by Members of the Committee; and
3) agree that the Annual Report be presented to full Council on 24 June 2021 by the Chairperson
38 : DEMOCRATIC SERVICES - ACTIVITIES AND SUPPORT
The report informed the Democratic Services Committee on the performance of the Council’s Democratic Services since the last meeting 30 November 2020.
The Committee was advised that the Member Services Team has remained unchanged since the last meeting of the committee. At the start of the initial Coronavirus lockdown the Team began agile working and with the exception of a small number of essential tasks has continued to work remotely to provide the service.
The Members Enquiry System (MES) was an important tool to effectively deal with the issues raised by residents with their Councillor. Members Services team had operational responsibility for the Members Enquiry System (MES) which included logging enquiries to provide Senior Managers with data on the key service issues, logging frequency and trends. The complexity and multi-service nature of some
enquiries meant that response times can exceed the 10 working day Service Level Agreement (SLA).
The recent improvements in reporting arrangements of the MES identified some of the shortcomings of the system. The Nethelpdesk software was originally implemented as a call handling system with limited functionality. Its recent upgrade to HALO has provided the opportunity to improve the functionality available.
The Scrutiny Services Team currently had 4 Principal Scrutiny Officers (PSOs) due to a resignation in March 2021. A recruitment exercise was being undertaken. It was hoped that the recruitment would be completed in June.
The Committee Services Team had adapted to deliver Remote Meetings Under statutory powers granted in the Coronavirus Act 2020, the Welsh Ministers issued The Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (‘the Regulations’), which temporarily relaxed the rules governing local authority meetings during the COVID-19 response period
The Regulations came into force on 22nd April 2020 and were in effect until 30th April 2021. 20. These arrangements had now been superseded by the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act which enables Local Authorities to develop a policy for “holding meetings in multiple locations”. Guidance from the Welsh Government was being developed and would provide an outline of how meetings could be held whether fully remotely, face to face or as hybrid meetings.
The Authority was actively engaged with them and once the guidance has been released a proposed policy would be developed and considered by the Constitution Committee prior to its submission to Council for approval.
The Committee Services Team was developing a range of services and functionality to deliver the various types of meetings that would be needed for the new policy.
These included:
• Simultaneous Welsh language Interpretation
• Hybrid Meetings
• Webcasting
• Xxxxxx.Xxx and E-Petitions
• Education Appeals
The Committee was informed that currently Microsoft Teams did not support the Welsh Language. The use of Zoom, which supported the Welsh Language was currently being investigated.
The Committee discussed Member Development including the following:
• Training for Section 106 applications at Planning Committee.
• Zoom security issues
• Duel language support provided by Zoom
• Hybrid Meetings
• Roles and behaviours of Members at meetings.
• Best practice at Planning Committee RESOLVED:
The Committee was requested to consider the detail in the report and:
a) note the content of the report.
b. provide any feedback on the Support Services provided to Councillors
c. receive a report on the updated Member Development programme at the next meeting of committee.
d. Identify any matters it would wish to add to the Work Programme
39 : INITIAL PROPOSALS - MEMBER INDUCTION PROGRAMME 2022
The report sought direction from the Democratic Services Committee on the topics and scheduling of the Council’s Elected Member Induction Programme following the Local Government Elections in 2022.
The Committee discussed the current Member Development Programme in place and were keen for a refresher Code of Conduct session to be provided to all members.
Committee focus training was also essential to provide specific training on Regulatory functions such as Planning and Licensing and how members could engage in the process if they were not members of these particular committee’s.
Members were concerned that following By-Elections, very little training was provided, which did not support the member in their role as a community representative. Further, essential equipment such as IT equipment and email addresses should be provided in a timely manner, in order for the member to carry out their role as a councillor.
The Committee was advised that following By-Elections specific training was provided including mandatory training and Committee specific training.
The Committee enquired about Xxxx related training that involved case work and correspondence.
It was essential that awareness of training programmes was communicated to persons nominated to be future councillors, including training being developed by the Welsh Local Government Association. Elected Members should understand the roles to which they had been appointed and we able to carry their role in their wards and for the City.
RESOLVED:
The Committee was requested to consider the detail in the report and:
a. provide its views on the WLGA “Framework Induction Curriculum for Candidates and New Members in Wales for the Local Elections 2022” (Appendix B), including:
i. the topics that have been identified for inclusion
ii. their preferred method of delivery of these topics
iii. the requirement to make any of these topics mandatory.
b. identify any additional Cardiff policies, activities or themes or other topics which should be included in the Induction Programme
c. receive a detailed draft Induction Programme at its meeting in October 2021.
40 : FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
The purpose of the report was to propose topics for inclusion on the Democratic Services Committee Forward Work Programme.
RESOLVED:
It is recommended that the Democratic Services Committee considered the proposed Work Programme appended as Appendix A to this report and identifies any additional topics for consideration at future meetings of the committee.
41 : URGENT ITEMS (IF ANY) None
42 : DATE OF NEXT MEETING – 19 JULY 2021
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CYNGOR CAERDYDD CARDIFF COUNCIL
DEMOCRATIC SERVICES COMMITTEE: 19 July 2021
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
DEMOCRATIC SERVICES – ACTIVITIES & SERVICE SUPPORT
Reason for this Report
1. The purpose of this report is to inform the Democratic Services Committee on the performance of the Council’s Democratic Services since the last meeting 24 May 2021.
Background
Role of the Democratic Services Committee
2. The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, Part 1, Chapter 2, xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx/xxx/0000/0/xxxx/0/xxxxxxx/0 requires local authorities to appoint a Democratic Services Committee to oversee the Democratic Services functions of the Council, ensure that the work is adequately resourced and report to the full Council accordingly. The Democratic Services functions include Members’ Services, Committee Services and Scrutiny Services, but not Cabinet Support Services.
Committee Services
3. Filling the vacancies in the Committee & Member Services Team has been progressed and a temporary appointment from Cardiff Works has been made to support the team particularly with the note-taking at Education Appeals. A further recruitment from Cardiff Works is actively being undertaken to enhance the teams capacity to support and develop the services for Elected Members.
Multi-Location meetings
4. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 requires Local Authorities to develop arrangements for “holding meetings in multiple locations”. Guidance from the Welsh Government is being developed which will provide guidance on how meetings can be held whether fully remotely, face to face or as hybrid meetings.
5. A suite of procedures and support will be needed for developed fora Multi-Location Meetings Policy which will require a significant resource from Democratic and other services. This will include the development of the software, hardware, meeting procedures and subsequently provide appropriate training to Elected Members and Officers to ensure that the intentions of the legislation are met.’
6. An appropriate engagement process for seeking the views of Elected Members,
other meeting participants and members of the public will also be needed to enable Officers to prepare draft proposals, reflecting the views expressed, which will be presented to the Constitution Committee for further consideration, prior to making recommendations for approval by full Council.
7. To progress the development of Multi-location meetings phased approach is being undertaken.
Phase 1a - Developing the hybrid meeting functionality for CR4.
8. This will enable us to determine how the hybrid meeting equipment can be integrated and optimised with our existing meeting systems. This will allow the identification of any changes necessary to the existing remote meetings procedure for participants of multi-location meetings. It is expected that this new type of meeting will pose challenges particularly when managing and co-ordinating attendees in multiple locations and providing necessary displays and control measures within the physical part of the meeting.
9. The Democratic Services Team are working to utilise a small number of hard wired microphones in CR4 to develop our meeting capability. Initial testing has begun in Committee Room 4 using Microsoft Teams and supported by Public-I, our webcasting provider. Initial testing has identified a number of changes to the equipment and procedures are necessary to facilitate a single language public meeting. A screenshot of one of the initial tests is shown at figure 1.
Figure 1
10. The capacity of CR4 is currently limited to a maximum of 12 socially distanced people with this number including any essential operators and support staff. These meetings will only be possible in a single language as the hard wired microphones and Microsoft Teams do not support simultaneous translation and transmission of the dual language to the remote attendees.
11. This initial phase does not have any conference control systems. Therefore the existing meeting processes and procedures would have to be maintained. Voting at meetings would continue to use the roll call procedure until a suitable digital alternative could be developed.
Phase 1b – Extending the Multi-Location meeting Capability to County Hall Council Chamber (CHCC)
12. Once the hybrid systems and the relevant procedures are operating effectively in CR4, the capability could be transferable to the CHCC. The cameras and other infrastructure elements are already in place and this would enable CHCC to be used as a larger meeting room, enabling more attendees to participate in the physical part of a multi-location meeting.
13. The CHCC has been identified as suitable for up to 25 people with a managed entry and exit procedure. However the limitation at this stage may be dependent on the number of hard wired microphones available and the span of the existing cables.
14. The display facilities will require enhancement to enable physical attendees to see and hear the remote participants and the essential meeting management control i.e. speaker queues.
15. Voting at formal meetings would continue to use the roll call procedure until a suitable digital alternative could be developed. Meetings would also have to be undertaken in a single language.
Phase 2 – Development of the Conferencing System Capability
Phase 2a – Developing Dual Language functionality (Zoom/Teams)
16. Microsoft indicated that a dual language version of its Teams software would be available at the end of June. This has failed to materialise therefore the Democratic Services Team will be using its 10 trial licenses of Zoom to adapt the existing meeting procedures using Zoom. This will provide the authority with a bi-lingual remote meeting capability. Funding has been provided by the Welsh Government as part of its Digital Democracy Grant and the formal procurement of Zoom licenses for 1 year is underway.
17. Once the basic procedures for Zoom are developed they will need to be tested to ensure that public meetings can be held appropriately. Microsoft Teams will continue to be used as the corporate standard with Zoom only being used for formal committee and public meetings. Public events which require a dual language capability could also utilise Zoom as necessary.
Phase 2b - Wireless Microphone and Conferencing Systems
18. An appropriate conference system which provides wireless microphones with bi- lingual functionality and which will utilise the existing systems and displays in CR4, CHCC and City Hall Council Chamber is being procured. Once procured and installed these systems will support the ongoing development of the processes and procedures for multi-location meetings with a dual language capability.
19. The wireless microphones will also be supplemented by a portable infra-red system which will provide the public with headphones which can access the amplified sound, integrate with hearing aid technology and the dual language capability. The provision
of a conference system could also provide meeting management and voting facilities which can be used to supplement or replace the use of Teams/Zoom.
Phase 2c – Preparing City Hall
20. Some essential maintenance work is needed in areas of City Hall. Survey and remedial work is needed before general access can be provided to the Council Chamber. Some installation work in City Hall will also be needed to provide an “interface” between the installed equipment and the new conference facilities. The cameras in City Hall will also be required to be upgraded and the availability of a high quality internet facility which will support the broadcast of meetings using the existing webcasting systems will need to be confirmed.
21. This should require minimal work to be undertaken in City Hall but when complete will support the full capability of existing hybrid meeting systems.
Phase 2c – Training Elected Members
22. All elected members will need to be trained in the use of the new systems to ensure they can fully interact at meetings. This will include the differences in processes and procedures when attending face to face, remote and hybrid meetings.
Phase 3 – Enhancing the existing systems
23. With an operational bi-lingual multi-location meeting system in CR4, CHCC and City Hall Council Chamber. The focus will change to upgrading the older facilities installed in these meeting venues which will improve display and the interaction of attendees at meetings.
Webcasting
24. A significant majority of the Council’s public meetings were recorded or streamed to the Council’s webcasting website with only those meetings which contained primarily exempt information not being streamed or uploaded.
25. The following table displays the views of the meetings that were webcast in Quarter 1 in 2021-22.
Committee | Actual duration | Total length of viewing | All views | Live views | Archive views |
Council | 4:20:49 | 108:00:29 | 728 | 261 | 467 |
Cabinet | 3:31:24 | 208:51:39 | 000 | 000 | 000 |
Scrutiny | 27:51:12 | 141:26:02 | 436 | 94 | 342 |
Planning | 9:40:51 | 278:53:37 | 728 | 171 | 467 |
Audit | 0:00:00 | 0:00:00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 45:24:16 | 629:11:18 | 2790 | 657 | 2043 |
Other | 16:39:17 | 114:38:50 | 448 | 119 | 329 |
Grand Totals | 62:03:33 | 743:50:08 | 3238 | 776 | 2372 |
26. The Democratic Services Committee on 24 May 2021 was viewed 26 times with 3 live and 23 archived views.
Scrutiny Services
27. The Scrutiny Services Team currently have 4 Principal Scrutiny Officers (PSOs) due to the resignation of one of them in March 2021. A recruitment exercise has been undertaken and the new scrutiny PSO will be joining the team on 26 July 2021.
28. The PSO’s have worked with the Scrutiny Chairs and the Scrutiny Committees to produce a new single Scrutiny Annual Report for the 2020-21 municipal year. This replaced the individual scrutiny committee annual reports and was presented to Council in June 2021.
29. This new style report was shared with the South East Wales Scrutiny Officers Network (SEWSON) and the National Scrutiny Network where it appears to have been well received. Other Local Authorities are looking to introduce similar Scrutiny Annual Reports which are intended to enhance the engagement and participation with the public.
Office Accommodation
30. The Democratic Services Team are current preparing to compress their office space. Electoral Services have moved into Room 263 with plans for Scrutiny, Committee and Member Services to share Room 283. These moves will be complete by 30 August 21.
Member Development
31. At its last meeting the Committee confirmed that a number of Member Development topics would be progressed. Initial discussions have been held to develop and deliver these sessions.
a. Completed Learning:
The following Member Learning sessions have been held and the attendance details have been included for information:
Serial | Date | Topic | Numbers Attended | % Attended |
1. | 25 May 21 | Cardiff Replacement LDP | 24 | 32.00% |
2. | 29 June 21 08 July 21 | Code of Conduct Refresher | 52 | 69.33% |
3. | 30 June 21 | Cardiff Commitment Vision | 20 | 26.67% |
4. | 05 July 21 | Cardiff Youth Justice Service Update | 24 | 32.00% |
b. Scheduled Learning:
The following Member Learning sessions have been provisionally scheduled:
Day | Date | Time | Topic |
Thu | 02-Sep-21 | 17:00 | Childs Rights in Practice Part A |
Mon | 06-Sep-21 | 16:30 | Unconscious Bias in Decision Making: By the end of the session participants will be able to: • Define unconscious bias • Recognize the science behind unconscious bias • Identify personal and business reasons to tackle unconscious bias • Assess the impact of organisational and individual biases • Identify strategies to minimize the impact of biases on key business and people functions • Create personal strategies to minimise the impact of our own biases |
Thu | 09-Sep-21 | 12:00 | Unconscious Bias in Decision Making: By the end of the session participants will be able to: • Define unconscious bias • Recognize the science behind unconscious bias • Identify personal and business reasons to tackle unconscious bias • Assess the impact of organisational and individual biases • Identify strategies to minimize the impact of biases on key business and people functions • Create personal strategies to minimise the impact of our own biases |
Thu | 09-Sep-21 | 17:00 | Childs Rights in Practice Part A |
Tue | 14-Sep-21 | 17:00 | Childs Rights in Practice Part A |
Tue | 21-Sep-21 | 17:00 | Childs Rights in Practice Part B |
Thu | 23-Sep-21 | 16:00 | Licensing Matters - Supporting your Community: To provide Elected Members with an understanding of • the procedures of the Licensing Sub-committee • how objections to Licensing applications are processed and considered supporting your community on Licensing matters |
Mon | 27-Sep-21 | TBC | Social Housing and Section 106: • Learning objectives being developed |
Wed | 29-Sep-21 | 12:00 | Childs Rights in Practice Part B |
Mon | 04-Oct-21 | 13:00 | Licensing Matters - Supporting your Community: To provide Elected Members with an understanding of • the procedures of the Licensing Sub-committee • how objections to Licensing applications are processed and considered • supporting your community on Licensing matters |
Thu | 14-Oct-21 | TBC | Social Housing and Section 106: • Learning objectives being developed |
Tue | 19-Oct-21 | 17:00 | Social Housing and Section 106: • Learning objectives being developed |
Wed | 20-Oct-21 | 12:00 | UNICEF Follow On |
Thu | 04-Nov-21 | 16:00 | UNICEF Follow On |
Wed | 01-Dec-21 | TBC | Workshop to Raise Awareness of PREVENT: WRAP is a free specialist workshop, designed by HM Government to provide an introduction: • to the Prevent strategy and an individual’s role in safeguarding vulnerable people. • An understanding of the Prevent strategy and your role within it. |
Day | Date | Time | Topic |
• The ability to use existing expertise and professional judgment to recognise the vulnerable individuals who may need support. • Local safeguarding and referral mechanisms and people to contact for further help and advice. |
c. E-Learning - Safeguarding
The Democratic Services Committee agreed that the Safeguarding E-Learning module should be completed to meet the requirements of the safeguarding strategy which identified that 85% of Elected Members should complete the module. The following table shows the completion status to date:
Status | Number | Percentage |
Completed | 34 | 45.3% |
In progress | 6 | 8.0% |
The completion of this E-Learning module is being followed up by officers with Political Group Whips.
d. Planned Learning:
Delivery of the following learning topics are being progressed:
i. Dementia Awareness – This was identified from a scrutiny recommendation. Initial plans for providing access to the Dementia awareness E-Learning module on the Members portal have been agreed. Many Elected Members have undertaken the Dementia Friends course with their political groups and if this can be evidenced, it will be taken as completion of this learning.
ii. Biodiversity and Natural Resources - This was identified from a scrutiny recommendation and initial discussions with the Head of Planning to support the use of an external facilitators Natural Resources Wales and Wildlife Trust to support the wider requirements with internal support being provided to provide the Council’s perspective and activities. Any costs for the provision of this learning will be met from the Member Development budget.
iii. Welsh Language – Elected Members have been made aware of the welsh language courses which are being provided by Cardiff Academy. Cardiff Academy is offering Welsh full courses FREE to staff/Elected Members via Microsoft Teams:
• All levels - beginner, foundation intermediate, advanced, proficient
• Focus on Work Welsh
• Blended learning
• Clear pathway towards becoming bilingual
Sessions will run from September to April, not including school holidays and a summary of each course is below.
MYNEDIAD Welsh Level 1 | From Friday 17 September | Weekly sessions 10-12pm |
For beginners, staff below level 1 Part of Level 1 Offer | 2 hours independent learning | |
SYLFAEN Welsh Level 2 Foundation | From Thursday 16 September | Weekly sessions 10-12pm 2 hours independent learning |
CANOLRADD Welsh Level 3 Intermediate | From Monday 13 September | Weekly sessions 10-12pm 2 hours independent learning |
UWCH Welsh Level 4 Advanced | From Tuesday 14 September | Twelve sessions 10- 12.30pm Weekly independent learning Three assignments |
HYFEDREDD Welsh Level 5 Proficiency/refresher | From Wednesday 15 September | Twelve sessions 10- 12.30pm Weekly independent learning Three assignments |
iv. Rights of a Child in Practice Parts A and B – dates identified with the UN providers of this learning
Part A | Part B | |||
Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
Completed | 53 | 70.67% | 50 | 66.67% |
v. Wellbeing of Future Generations – Following the initial pilot, officers are being consulted to provide a wider roll out of this learning which may be combined with the Socio-Economic Duty.
vi. E-Learning – The following E-Learning topics are available for completion and guidance is sought from the Committee on which topics should be prioritised.
a. Dementia Friendly
b. Corporate Parenting
c. Fraud Awareness
Financial Implications
32. The body of the report provides details of the requirements for and sources of funding in respect of Democratic Services activities and services support. Sources of funding include the Digital Democracy Fund, Member Development Budget and the Democratic Services Reserve, with the agreement of the Director of Governance and Legal Services.
33. Initial development of hybrid remote meetings and the associated costs have been met from the Digital Democracy Fund; however, the ongoing development of this system may require additional equipment. These costs could be met from the capital funding allocated for the procurement of a new conferencing system, as the hybrid facility will form a stepping-stone to achieving the requirements of the new conference system.
34. All costs from Democratic Services activities and services support are to be monitored and contained within the respective funding sources and budgets, and any new costs will require an identified source of funding.
Legal Implications
35. Under the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, Part 1, the Democratic Services Committee is responsible for overseeing the democratic services functions of the Council, ensuring this work is adequately resourced; and reporting to full Council accordingly.
36. The Democratic Services functions (which must be discharged by the Head of Democratic Services) are defined as follows:
(a) to provide support and advice: to the authority in relation to its meetings; to committees of the authority and the members of those committees; to any joint committee which a local authority is responsible for organising and the members of that committee; in relation to the functions of the authority's scrutiny committees, to members of the authority, members of the executive and officers; to each member of the authority in carrying out the role of member of the authority (but excluding a member’s role as an Executive member);
(b) to promote the role of the authority's Scrutiny Committees;
(c) to make reports and recommendations to Council in respect of the number and grades of staff required to discharge democratic services functions and the appointment, organisation and proper management of those staff; and
(d) any other functions prescribed by the Welsh Ministers.
37. In determining how to exercise its functions, the Committee must have regard to the statutory guidance issued by the Welsh Ministers: xxxxx://xxx.xxxxx/xxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx- measure-2011-guidance (chapter 3)
38. The information set out in the body of this report enables the Democratic Services Committee to oversee the work of democratic services, ensure the work is adequately resourced and report to full Council, as appropriate.
39. Other relevant legal provisions, such as the new legislation relating to multi-location meetings, are referred to in the body of the report.
RECOMMENDATION
40. The Committee is requested to consider the detail of the report and note its content.
XXXX XXXXX
HEAD of DEMOCRATIC SERVICES 13 July 2021
Background Papers:
Democratic Services – Activities & Service Support report dated 24 May 2021
Mae'r dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol
CYNGOR CAERDYDD CARDIFF COUNCIL
DEMOCRATIC SERVICES COMMITTEE: 19 July 2021
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
DIVERSE COUNCIL
Reason for this Report
1. To consider the request from the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) Council for all Councils in Wales to commit to become a Diverse Council in 2022.
Background
2. It is widely acknowledged that equal representation is not only an issue of representational fairness but essential for the quality of policy development and decision making. Decisions will be better when they are taken by people with lived experience of an issue.
3. A significant amount of work has been undertaken in the last decade in Wales to measure and improve the diversity of councils. In previous elections councils have worked hard to encourage underrepresented groups to stand with their own outreach, mentoring schemes and information days. They have done much to improve the support provided for serving councillors and provide them with guidance, development and better working conditions. More recently the WLGA has worked with Councils to support members suffering abuse and harassment.
4. More work is in the pipeline in preparation for the 2022 elections. There is a national communications campaign to encourage people from underrepresented groups to vote, engage with local democracy and stand for office. New mentoring programmes are being delivered with the Womens’ Equality Network Wales, the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team Wales with Stonewall Cymru and Disability Wales also planning to offer mentoring programmes.
5. The Welsh Government and Senedd Commission are working with Councils, schools and youth councils and developing resources to encourage 16 and 17 year olds to get involved and vote. The WLGA has a new “Be a Councillor” website and, is part of the Pan UK Civility in public life campaign and are working with Councils to continue to improve the range of support and development provided to members.
6. Despite previous actions and campaigns to increase the range of representation of councils progress has been slow and it is recognised that there remains a lack of diversity in councils.
7. At a special meeting of the WLGA Council in April 2021 a report entitled Diversity in Democracy was considered and has been attached as Appendix A. This was a culmination of the work of a cross-party working group which built on the action plans and ambitions of councils and partners.
Issues
8. The WLGA has committed to making a step change in local government diversity at from 2022. The WLGA Council endorsed the Diversity in Democracy report considered at a special meeting WLGA Council meeting in April 2021.
9. The WLGA Council unanimously agreed that all councils should commit to a declaration on becoming ‘Diverse Councils’ in 2022, to provide a clear, public commitment to improving diversity. The report included an ‘outline’ Declaration to:
• Provide a clear, public commitment to improving diversity;
• Demonstrate an open and welcoming culture to all;
• Consider staggering council meeting times and agreeing recess periods to support councillors with other commitments; and
• Set out an action plan of activity ahead of the 2022 local elections.
10. A letter attached at Appendix B was sent from the WLGA to all Group Leaders, Chairs of Councils, Chairs of Democratic Services Committees, Chief Executives and Heads of Democratic Services. The letter requests that all Councils in Wales should commit to a declaration by July 2021 to become a ‘Diverse Council’ in 2022, to provide a clear, public commitment to improving diversity. The letter refers to the outline Declaration included within the WLGA report. However, it notes that Councils may wish to undertake further action or commitments within their Declarations according to local priorities.
11. Councils’ local diversity work will be supported by a national awareness raising, publicity and support through the WLGA and Welsh Government. WLGA officials will be meeting with Heads of Democratic Services to share ideas and approaches to develop local Diverse Council Declarations.
12. The Council already has the ability to:
a. Demonstrate a commitment to a duty of care for Councillors by providing access to counselling services for all councillors
b. Demonstrate a commitment to a duty of care for Councillors by having regard for the safety and wellbeing of councillors whenever they are performing their role as councillors.
13. Some of the intentions of the WLGA Council in its letter and report fall within the remit of the Democratic Services Committee and the support provided by the
Democratic Services Team. Some of the activities that the Committee is developing could be mapped to support these intentions and could include:
a. Assisting in “Providing a clear public commitment to improving diversity in democracy” by:
• providing a “Potential Candidate session to promote awareness of:
o the functions of the Council’s among local people,
o how local residents can become a member of the Council and
o the roles and responsibilities of an Elected Member
• Working in partnership with Carmarthenshire Council, Welsh Government and Welsh Local Government Association to provide a series of awareness videos to promote Local Democracy across Wales
b. Working with councillors and candidates to “Ensure that all members and candidates complete the Welsh Government candidates’ and councillors’ survey distributed at election time” by the promotion of these important surveys by Electoral and Democratic Services
c. Supporting the opportunity to “Set ambitious targets for candidates from under-represented groups at the 2022 local elections” by identifying the demographic profile of existing Councillors. This data could then be used as a benchmark for any target setting.
d. “Work towards the standards for member support and Development set out in the Wales Charter for Member Support and Development”
14. Many of the intentions contained within the WLGA Council letter and report are not within the remit of this committee and therefore it would be for others to consider how they could support Cardiff to become a Diverse Council. Initial consideration of the WLGA report by the Head of Democratic Services has identified that the following individuals, committees and political bodies may have a role within their scope of responsibility to undertake activities and actions to support any commitment made by Cardiff Council:
a. Political Group Leaders and Whips
b. Chair of the Constitution Committee
c. Chair of the Standards and Ethics Committee
d. Chair of the Race Equalities Task Group
e. Chief Executive / Returning Officer
f. Monitoring Officer
g. Head of Democratic Services
h. Cohesion and Community Engagement Manager
15. Additional partners, colleagues or organisations may be subsequently identified who may be able to further enhance the opportunities for Cardiff Council to develop a comprehensive action plan to support a Diverse Council Declaration.
Legal Implications
16. There are no direct legal implications arising from the recommendations of the report. Legal advice will be provided, as necessary, in respect of any specific actions to be taken to support the Council’s commitment to become a Diverse Council.
Financial Implications
17. There are no direct financial implications from this report. The development of an action plan will require consideration and identification of all resources including any financial provision, necessary to deliver the outcomes.
RECOMMENDATIONS
18. The Democratic Services Committee is recommended to:
a. note the content of the report and appendices.
b. develop an action plan within the Committee’s remit and budget to support the Diverse Council intentions of the WLGA Council.
c. Approve that the Chairperson writes to Group Leaders/Whips, Chairs of Constitution and Standards & Ethics Committees, Chair of the Race Equalities Task Group, Chief Executive, Monitoring Officer and others, to seek support within their scope of responsibility to progress the intentions of the WLGA Council.
d. Approve that the Chairperson writes to Group Leaders on behalf of the Committee requesting that they consider developing a collective response which will enable the Council to declare its intentions to become a Diverse Council in 2022.
Xxxx Xxxxx
Head of Democratic Services 16 July 2021
The following appendices are attached to this report:
Appendix A - Diversity in Local Government Democracy Report for WLGA Appendix B - Diversity in Democracy WLGA Letter
Background Papers: None
WLGA SPECIAL COUNCIL
WLGA WORKING GROUP ON DIVERSITY IN LOCAL DEMOCRACY
Purpose
1. To report on the work undertaken by the WLGA Cross Party Working Group on Diversity in Local Democracy and seek Council’s endorsement of proposals to achieve a ‘step change’ at the 2022 local elections.
Summary
2. WLGA Council agreed in September 2018 to take steps to advance gender equality and diversity in Councils before the 2022 elections. This was in recognition of the lack of diversity in Welsh Councils . A cross party working group was set up to explore broader underrepresentation in democracy.
3. It is now widely acknowledged that equal representation is not only an issue of representational fairness but essential for the quality of policy development and decision making. Decisions will be better when they are taken by people with
lived experience of an issue. The ‘right person for the job’ of councillor needs to be a member of the community they serve, in order to fully and consistently understand the lives and needs of that community. Councils also need to demonstrate to underrepresented communities that they are valued and included in local democracy.
4. Much work has been undertaken in the last decade in Wales to measure and improve the diversity of councils. More work is in the pipeline in preparation for the 2022 elections. There is a national communications campaign to encourage people from underrepresented groups to vote, engage with local democracy and stand for office. New mentoring programmes are being delivered with the
Womens’ Equality Network Wales and the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team Wales. Stonewall Cymru and Disability Wales will also soon be offering mentoring programmes. The Welsh Government and Senedd Commission are working with Councils, schools and youth councils and developing resources to encourage 16 and 17 yr olds to get involved and vote. The WLGA has a new Be a Councillor website and, is part of the Pan UK civility in public life campaign and are working with Councils to continue to improve the range of support and development provided to members.
5. In previous elections councils have worked hard to encourage underrepresented groups to stand with their own outreach, mentoring schemes and information days. They have done much to improve the support provided for serving councillors and provide them with guidance, development and better working
conditions. More recently we have worked together as a local government family to support members suffering abuse and harassment.
6. The Working Group found, and national and international research shows, that this comprehensive activity will not be enough to make change at the pace required. This report outlines the additional activities that could make a difference.
7. There are three main areas for action:
• Encouraging councils to ensure all councilllors receive their full entitlement to allowances and salaries, and encouraging the introduction of resettlement grants, so that all members receive fair remuneration for their work and that the role of member is not limited to those who can afford it
• An agreement by councils to undertake new or developed work in this area and visibly commit to this by signing up to becoming Diverse Councils.
• To discuss positions and making representation to political parties and acting locally to set quotas and/or voluntary targets for the election of councillors from underrepresented groups.
Background
8. WLGA Council first received this report at its meeting on 27th November 2020. Given the significance of the report and the issues considered and due to the congested agenda at the November Council, members agreed to defer the report to a later and dedicated meeting in early 2021.
9. At its meeting on 28th September 2018, WLGA Council committed to advance gender equality and diversity in local democracy ahead of the 2022 local elections.
10.WLGA Council agreed to establish a cross party working group to develop an action plan and to identify possible actions for consideration by XXXX Council. The Membership of the Group is at Annex A. Not all members were able to attend all meetings, however, contributed to the work via discussions with officers. The WLGA Equalities Cabinet Members Network has also fed into the work of the group.
11.The working group did not commission additional research or evidence gathering as there have been several reviews in recent years. The working group considered recommendations which have emerged from research undertaken in 2018-19 by the Women’s Equalities Network, Chwarae Teg, the Senedd’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, the Welsh Government
including the review of its Diversity in Democracy programme, the Xxxxxxx Society, the Electoral Reform Society, and the British Council. Further research and reports, including engagement and research through the Welsh
Government’s developing Race Equality Action Plan and Race Alliance Wales’ ‘Do the Right Thing’ report (January 2021)1, have informed this report.
12.The evidence base, barriers and challenges to attracting more diverse councillors were referenced in the WLGA’s submission to the Senedd’s Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee Inquiry into diversity in local government in September 20182. The barriers and challenges can broadly be summarised as:
• Time-commitment and meeting times;
• Political and organisational culture;
• Childcare and other caring responsibilities;
• Public criticism and online abuse;
• Remuneration and impact on employment; and
• Lack of diverse role models and incumbency
13.The working group also considered the legislation proposed in the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 and considered the views from various groups through the Diversity in Democracy roundtables of stakeholders, convened by the Minister for Housing and Local Government, where the WLGA was previously represented by Cllr Xxxxxx Xxxxxx and, subsequently, by Cllr Xxxx Xxxxxxxx.
14.The WLGA supported and participated in regional diversity in democracy stakeholder events held by the Welsh Government in the autumn of 2019 which sought views from under-represented groups from across Wales.
15.Senior WLGA and local government members also participated in an Electoral Reform Society ‘Equal Power Equal Voice’ Roundtable debate in October 2020
which sought to explore some of the barriers around diversity, including quotas.
Progress remains slow
16. Data shows that there remains a significant lack of diversity in Welsh councils. In Wales’ local authorities:
• 28% of councillors and 29% of Cabinet members are women.
1Race Alliance Wales ‘Do The Right Thing’ research report on racialised representation in public and political life (January 2021) - Full research paper (xxxxx://xxx.xx/0xxX0Xx) Executive summary (xxxxx://xxx.xx/0xXxxXx)
2 xxxxx://xxx.xxxx.xxxxx/XxxxxxXxxxx/Xxxxxxxx.xxxx?xxxxxxx00&xxxxxxx0000&xxxx000
• Councillors are proportionately older than the general adult population (47% of councillors were aged 60 years or older) and a higher proportion of councillors were retired (31%).
• Only about 1.8% of councillors are Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (XXXX) compared to 4.7% for the Welsh population and few hold senior positions.
• 11% of councillors stated that they had a disability, and there remain a range of challenges for disabled people participating in the democratic process.
17. There has been some small progress, however, the leadership of Welsh local government is more diverse than ever before, though we recognise it is not fully reflective of wider society; there are 6 women leaders (up from 2 in 2017) and 6 women Deputy Leaders, a quarter of leaders are below the age of 45 and 2 leaders and several senior councillors have featured in Pride Cymru’s ‘Pinc List’ in recent years.
18. The Black Lives Matter movement and wider Welsh Government commissioned working groups on the impact of COVID-19 on BAME people has demonstrated the barriers and challenges faced by of a significant proportion of society and highlighted the need to make visible progress in policy, leadership and, in particular, political representation.
19. The Report of the Welsh Government’s XXXX Covid-19 Socioeconomic Subgroup, chaired by Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx observed:
“The overall theme that ran through the factors discussed in this report is the impact of longstanding racism and disadvantage and lack of XXXX representation within decision making to effect better socio-economic outcomes. Although many of the issues highlighted have been identified and discussed previously, they have not been addressed in any systematic and sustained way. The coronavirus pandemic is, in some respects, revealing the consequences of such inaction on race equality.”
20.The Socioeconomic Subgroup recommended that:
“Welsh Government to encourage the political engagement of XXXX communities by raising awareness and understanding of Welsh and UK democratic institutions and processes, with the overall aim of encouraging the increase of political representation of XXXX communities by also encouraging voter registration from XXXX communities.”
21. The Welsh Government is also developing a Race Equality Action Plan, which will be published for consultation in the Spring 2021. This Plan will outline a vision, goals and actions to make Wales an anti-racist nation and will prioritise anti-racism and greater diversity in leadership and representation.
22. In advance of the Race Equality Action Plan, the actions and proposals in this report have been informed by XXXX engagement and participation in the Welsh Government’s stakeholder and working groups and other race equality workstreams. Race Alliance Wales’ ‘Do the Right Thing’ report outlines a range of
cultural and institutional barriers around participation of racialised people (it uses this term as it is argued that BAME people are racialised because of their ethnicity) and outlines several recommended actions and commitments for public bodies.
23. Local authorities are also undertaking local reviews or actions in response to the issues raised through Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 work reflecting the issues. The WLGA leadership has committed to building on local authorities’ work and the WLGA will respond to the Race Equality Action Plan when it is published for consultation.
24. The lack of diverse representation in local authorities is a problem that has been recognised for decades. A more diverse democracy and elected representatives who are more reflective and understanding of their communities leads to better engagement with individuals and communities, in turn leading to greater levels of confidence and trust and better decision-making informed by a wider range of perspectives and lived experiences.
25. Prominent decision-makers from under-represented groups can be influential role models, empowering and encouraging others to aspire to follow in their footsteps and to contribute to public life. Similarly, more diverse senior political
leaders who are more representative of an organisation’s workforce can lead to improved workforce engagement, trust in leadership and a more confident organisational culture.
Diversity in Democracy 2017
26. Local authorities, the WLGA, Welsh Government and political parties have employed a range of measures to encourage greater diversity in candidates and councillors. The WLGA supported the Welsh Government-led Diversity in Democracy programme ahead of the 2017 elections.
27. The Diversity in Democracy programme was the biggest and most well-resourced programme of its type and was supported by a range of national partners including the main political parties. The programme included an awareness and promotional campaign, production of literature and online videos for candidates, businesses and mentees, working with employers to encourage them to encourage and support staff to be councillors and the roll-out of a mentoring scheme for people from under-represented groups.
28. A range of online materials were produced to provide information to candidates and councillors, including the WLGA’s Be a Councillor guide and Councillor’s
Guide and the Welsh Government’s Diversity in Democracy materials which included specific leaflets to encourage businesses to support staff in becoming councillors.
29. The Welsh Government produced a series of online videos with councillors as part of the Diversity in Democracy programme and several councils, including Gwynedd, Monmouthshire and Powys also produced excellent videos to explain the role of councillors and to encourage candidates to stand.
30. Several councils ran ‘open days’ ahead of the elections and mentoring and shadowing programmes are widely regarded as being beneficial, particularly in supporting people from under-represented groups to come forward to stand.
31. A mentoring campaign was the central project within the Diversity in Democracy programme and participants received extensive support, advice, training and access to serving councillors who acted as mentors. Of the 51 mentees who participated, only 16 stood for election and only 4 were elected. However, such a ‘conversion rate’ suggests that, in future, mentoring and support programmes may be a more effective use of resources if they are provided to people who had already committed to standing as a candidate.
Diversity in Democracy 2022
32. The cross party WLGA working group met three times to consider evidence and develop recommendations for consideration by XXXX Council. The working group has reviewed the existing evidence, considered what activities councils and the WLGA could do to improve diversity in democracy and the role of the Welsh Government and political parties.
33. The Minister for Housing and Local Government also convened a Diversity in Democracy roundtable of stakeholders which met twice. During the autumn of 2019, the Welsh Government organised 4 regional stakeholder events with 95 people attending, including councillors and officers from town and community councils and unitary authorities and third sector including charities, support organisations for the disabled, XXXX, xxxxx people and religious organisations. XXXX Officials facilitated roundtable discussions. Key messages were:
• There was a general lack of awareness of the role and contribution made by councillors.
• Social media abuse directed at councillors is getting worse. The abuse is predominately, but not exclusively aimed at women which has a direct effect on diversity in the role. There was increasing concern the abuse could be directed at members of the councillors’ family, which was evidenced by some of the experiences of attendees.
• Training and development are fundamental, but people were not always aware of what is available.
• Time commitment was a barrier for many people, particularly people with family commitments or jobs.
• Providing help with costs to support individuals stand for election was a recurring theme, particularly for disabled people and other individuals from protected characteristics groups. Childcare costs were also seen as a barrier to campaigning.
• There was confusion about whether and what councillors are paid and on what basis. There were concerns about the determinations made and how individuals were impacted as a result of the interplay between the HMRC, the benefits system and the remuneration levels. Many attendees at the workshops felt remuneration of the councillor role does not cover the costs associated with the role particularly in town and community councils.
Action Plan 2020-22
34. A range of actions emerged from the Ministerial roundtable and the WLGA’s working group which are being implemented or planned. These include the following (specific WLGA or local authority activity is included in italics):
Awareness/Value of Role
35. Councils and councillors have played a critical, central and prominent role during the COVID 19 pandemic during 2020. Councils have demonstrated that they are uniquely placed at the heart of their communities and public service delivery and councils and councillors have invariably been the first port of call for the most vulnerable or those in need of support or assurance. The crisis has demonstrated councils’ ability to respond irrespective of scale and reaffirmed the importance of subsidiarity and localism, with elected members rooted in their local communities.
36. A broad-based communication campaign is in development with the Welsh Government and Senedd Commission. This will start with messages about the value of democracy and voting aimed at primarily at the newly enfranchised for the 2021 Senedd elections. This will develop to focus on the value and contribution made by councillors and encouraging participation in local democracy.
37. In parallel to the development of the national campaign Welsh Government will work with partners to identify key points/events throughout 2020 to promote
positive stories about councillors’ contributions and achievements.
38. Councils and WLGA to develop a consistent and coordinated campaign demonstrating how much councillors are valued, developed and supported.
39. WLGA has launched a Be a Councillor website xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxx/ which will be further developed in 2021 with pen portraits and ‘day in the life’ case study videos of councillors from a cross-section of characteristics. It will also include an e learning module for people interested in standing to enable them to
understand the role in more detail and “hit the ground running” should they be elected.
40. Coordinated activity between authorities, including information and awareness campaigns and open days, linked to key events such as Local Democracy Week, International Women’s Day, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Day, LGBT History Month etc.
41. Targeted WLGA promotional work through Welsh political party conferences in 2021
42. Targeted engagement work with third sector organisations to encourage discussion and interest in volunteers translating their informal community role into an elected community role. The COVID 19 Pandemic has increased the levels of voluntary and community-based work. The WLGA will engage with individuals and groups who may now wish to continue this work by standing for office.
Candidate/Councillor Abuse
43. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 will facilitate a change in the requirement to use personal addresses on ballot papers. The Act will also place a duty on political group leaders to promote high standards of conduct. It will also require councils to publish official rather than personal addresses for councillors.
44. The WLGA, in partnership with their colleagues in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, are involved in developing the Civility in Public Life campaign to promote mutual respect and promote high standards of conduct. The WLGA, working with the LGA, has produced an online Councillors guide for handling intimidation xxxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xxx.xx/xxxxxxxxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx .
45. The WLGA is working with authorities to encourage an informal but comprehensive duty of care for members.
46. The WLGA is also contacting and providing advice and support to individual councillors who receive online abuse and, where appropriate, issuing supportive messages challenging online abuse via social media.
Training and Development
47. The WLGA, with authorities, will continue to review current and future training provision. This will include a focus on new ways of delivering support and development post COVID 19.
48. Work will be undertaken to identify ways in which ex councillors can use their experience and skills to enhance their CVs or continue to use their skills and experience through involvement with training / support mechanisms.
49. The National “curriculum” for member induction is being updated. This overview of what members would find useful to learn is agreed with councils and includes subjects considered mandatory. As well as traditional subjects like Ethics and Standards, The Well-being of Future Generations and Scrutiny skills, this will now include unconscious bias, personal safety and remote working skills.
50. A new online Councillors Guide will be developed for Councillors for the 2022 elections.
51. The suite of National e Learning modules specifically developed for members which is freely available via the NHS learning@wales website will be updated for the 2022 elections. This work is being undertaken by authorities working together with the WLGA and is particularly important as a result of the changes to working and learning practice as a result of the Pandemic.
52. The national Competency framework for elected members is now being developed prior to the 2022 elections to include new requirements such as the understanding of unconscious bias, civility, remote meeting attendance and ICT skills.
53. Councils undertake personal development review with members to personalise training support. XXXX offers guidance and training in how to conduct PDRs
54. The Leadership programme for elected members developed and delivered with LGA and Academi Wales is being re commissioned and refreshed. There are challenges associated with delivering the programme in the current climate which will be addressed as part of the commission.
Mentoring
55.Welsh Government officials are working with disability and equality organisations such as the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team Wales, Disability Wales and Stonewall Cymru to scope the requirement for a Wales wide mentoring scheme which includes all protected characteristics. Several mentoring schemes are already organised by a range of third sector organisations, these will be aligned and coordinated, with resources and learning shared.
56. Work will be undertaken to explore work shadowing/apprenticeships and other opportunities to expose individuals to the work of councils which taken together will form a pathway to participation.
57. The WLGA has promoted and is supporting mentoring schemes run by XXXX and the Women’s Equality Network Wales. Several councillors have participated as mentors in these programmes.
58. Newly elected members are offered mentors when they join the council (XXXX provides guidance and training for member mentors).
59. There are opportunities for individual councils/councillors to provide shadowing and mentoring opportunities for people interested in standing for office ahead of the 2022 local elections.
Flexibility
60. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 includes a range of provisions to support flexible ways of working including making provision for job sharing and strengthening the remote attendance arrangements.
61. Welsh Government Officials are now working with XXXX and LA officials to consider how the legislation and arrangements made for meetings to be held remotely could be extended to improve flexibility and access for a wider range of councillors.
62. Local authorities’ rapid adoption of virtual meetings via platforms such as Teams, Webex or Zoom during COVID 19 has transformed the way councils do business. Meetings are more accessible for many members, significantly reducing travel commitments and time, allowing members to attend meetings from work and, in the main, from home. Whilst there are potential impacts on ‘work-life’ balance and setting boundaries between council work and home-life, this approach has provided greater flexibility for members with caring responsibilities. Virtual meetings have also encouraged a less formal and flexible approach to meetings. Councils have bid for WG funding to facilitate digital engagement through the Digital Democracy Fund.
63. The LGA have produced a tool to enable women, parents and carers to become councillors and has a range of ideas that could be adopted in councils including a way of assessing the councils support for diverse councillors. xxxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xxx.xx/xxxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx
Supporting individuals with protected characteristics
64. The Welsh Government plans to introduce an Access to Elected Office fund to assist disabled people to stand for elected office in Wales at the 2021 Senedd and 2022 local elections..
65. The Welsh Government recently consulted on this proposal and the WLGA and several authorities were supportive. The Working Group also suggested that learning from this initiative could be used to inform any future access funds such as for childcare for candidates.
Education
66. Welsh Government and Senedd Commission has developed a set of educational resources to accompany the extension of the franchise to 16- and 17-year olds in Wales which will focus on knowledge of and
participation in democracy in Wales. This is freely available to schools and other education settings via an online resource Hwb
67. Work is being undertaken to identify ways in which schools in Wales can use the new curriculum to highlight and promote participation and engagement with local democracy.
68. Councils will continue to engage with schools, including links with school councils and Youth Councils.
69. Councils are also using the Electoral Reform Support Grant to engage with newly enfranchised groups to help them understand the democratic process and encourage them to register and vote.
Remuneration
70. In response to concerns raised by WLGA Leaders, the Independent Remuneration Panel is identifying the key issues in relation to taxation and benefits applying to members and will prepare a paper for Welsh Government.
71. The Minister for Housing and Local Government has raised the tax issues with the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales to explore potential solutions.
72. The Welsh Government has committed to explore with the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales the case for payments in respect of councillors who lose their seats at election and present options to Ministers. This is an issue that has been raised as a concern by leaders, as councillors (and in particular full-time senior councillors), are at significant personal, financial risk if they lose their seat.
Making a Step Change in 2022
73. The above proposed work programme outlines a range of awareness raising, engagement and support activities. Many similar activities were delivered during the Diversity in Democracy programme ahead of the 2017 elections.
74. However, despite some progress, improvement was marginal at the at the 2017 elections:
• the number of candidates increased by 5.6% (3,463 candidates compared to 3,279 in 2012 (including Anglesey candidates in 2013).
• 29% of all candidates were women (up by 1% from 2012).
• 28% of councillors elected were women (up 2% from 2012).
• 32% of all newly elected members were women).
75. Uncontested seats at the 2017 elections remained high at 92 (7%) seats uncontested. This was fewer than in 2012, when there were 99 (8%) seats uncontested, but this continues to undermine local democracy.
76. Compared to the 2017 programme, Diversity in Democracy 2022 will include refinements and more targeted activity based on evaluations and lessons learned, along with some new, additional work such as the Civility in Public Life campaign.
77. The WLGA working group has shaped and is supportive of the proposed programme of activities outlined above, however it concluded that the programme on its own is unlikely to see significant improvements, particularly without clear leadership, commitment and coordinated actions from the main political parties.
78. The working group has considered several more significant proposals which might have a more positive impact on diversity and the number of candidates in 2022.
79. The views of Council are therefore sought on the following additional actions.
The Role of Political Parties
80. The working group recognised that independent councillors were a key feature of Welsh local government. It also recognised that political parties provided the majority of candidates at local elections and therefore play a key role and have significant responsibility in encouraging a more diverse range of candidates.
81. The working group noted that political parties have different policies and views about the introduction of quotas, all women shortlists, selection of diverse candidates in winnable seats or other positive-action initiatives.
82. There are, however, a range of good practice initiatives that political parties could undertake to encourage and support more diverse candidates both locally and nationally:
• Review party selection criteria e.g. reducing the length of membership before members can stand for office.
• Local parties can establish fora and run events/socials/training sessions for underrepresented groups. Helping these groups understand what the role of councillor is about, that their participation is required and how to stand plus the support that will be available once in office.
• Parties could establish ‘Diversity Grants’ to support people from underrepresented groups (who will not benefit from the Access to elected office fund) to stand.
• Existing councillors from underrepresented groups can be put forward for public events on panels, as speakers or as chairs to raise the profile of members from underrepresented groups and enable them to be role models for their communities.
• Talent spotting and engaging with communities working with community leaders from underrepresented groups, encouraging people shadow, be mentored and stand for election.
• Promoting and signposting of information and materials, such as those available via parties or national bodies such as the WLGA.
• Establish respect protocols for behaviour within the Group reflecting that required in councils and for the Code of Conduct with sanctions for people not meeting standards or undertaking training in respect.
• Encourage political parties and local groups, including officials those with a responsibility in the selection process to undertake unconscious bias training.
• Encourage political parties to provide by-xxxxxxx training for candidates and party members, to understand how to provide support to diverse candidates and challenge any abuse, such as disability hate crime or racism, that may be experienced on the doorstep (this was a proposal that emerged from the Electoral Reform Society roundtable in October 2020),
83. It is recommended that WLGA Council agrees to encourage all political parties, through the WLGA Political Groups, to commit to proactive and coordinated activities such as those listed at paragraph 80 above to improve diversity in local government democracy.
Resettlement grants or ‘parachute payments’
84. Councillors are one of the only paid public roles that do not have financial protection and are not entitled to receive a ‘redundancy’ payment if they lose office at an election. Members of the Senedd and Members of Parliament receive a significant resettlement grant should they lose office at an election. Redundancy payments are also a protected right for public sector employees.
85. In particular, senior councillors tend to be full-time, often have to give up careers to focus on their councillor role and many have family as well as
other financial commitments; the personal risk of a sudden and significant loss of a salary is inconsistent and unfair compared to other public roles. It is also a disincentive for more diverse people with careers or family responsibilities to consider taking on the most senior roles in local government.
86. The Independent Remuneration Panel has committed to consider this matter and explore whether the Welsh Government would need to introduce any legislative amendment to empower the Panel to introduce any such payments in future.
87. The ‘cost of politics’ and councillors’ remuneration is a controversial matter and is subject to significant media and public scrutiny and political pressure. Any proposals would therefore have to carefully balance equality, fairness and costs and public acceptability.
88. WLGA leaders have previously raised the matter with the Independent Remuneration Panel previously, however the WLGA does not have a formal position on resettlement grants for senior salary holders.
89. It is recommended that WLGA Council adopts a formal position calling for the introduction of resettlement grants for senior salary holders.
Councillors’ allowances and expenses
90. The Independent Remuneration Panel and some WLGA Leaders have previously expressed concern that many members entitled to receive specific expenses, such as travel allowances, or reimbursements of costs of care do not make claims. Several councillors also decide to forgo parts of their salaries; the Independent Remuneration Panel recently wrote to the WLGA noting “…that it is an individual’s right to decide that they can take a lesser amount than that prescribed as long as there is no pressure applied either directly or subliminally”, noting concern, however, that 12% of
councillors decided to forgo last year’s salary increases. There are concerns that this is partly to do with austerity, public and media perception but anecdotally, it is clear that there is also local peer or political group pressure or organisational cultural norms.
91. These allowances are provided to meet councillors’ legitimate costs incurred in undertaking their duties and also play a role in encouraging greater diversity; some councillors can be disproportionately affected if they are on low income or have caring responsibilities. The Independent Remuneration Panel and several leaders have expressed concerns about this practice as it
may disadvantage members who cannot afford to forgo expenses and acts as a disincentive to stand/re-stand.
92. As noted above, the ‘cost of politics’ and councillors’ remuneration is subject to significant media and public scrutiny.
93. It is recommended that the WLGA Council agrees to encourage all councillors to claim any necessary allowances or expenses incurred.
Diverse Councils
94. The Welsh Government has committed to making Wales a Gender Equal Wales and the Cabinet to becoming a Feminist Government, which is a government that is:
• Committed to equality of outcome for all women, men and nonbinary people and actively works to drive cultural and structural change
• Pro-actively works to advance equality and remove the barriers against all women’s participation in the economy, public and social life
• Puts a gender perspective at the heart of decision-making, resource and budget allocation
• Takes an intersectional approach to all of its work and ensures diversity of representation, participation and voice
• Is people-focused and collaborative, ensuring that all communities are meaningfully engaged in its work
• Is open, transparent and accountable and welcomes scrutiny through a gender lens
• Makes use of policy development and analysis tools to embed gender equality into all of its work and actively monitors progress towards equality using a robust evidence base
• Leads by example and supports other public bodies to take action to deliver equality.
95. The Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted global concerns about racism and COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the health and socio-economic impacts of inequality. Increased representation from BAME people on councils is essential to ensure that BAME people are represented and contribute their lived experiences to the decision-making process.
96. Councils’ Strategic Equality Plans outline objectives which demonstrate their commitments and planned actions to promote equality and diversity, including as employers and representative bodies. Many councils will also undertake a range of activities in promoting diversity in democracy ahead of the 2022 local elections, as outlined above.
97. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 will introduce a new ‘public participation’ duty on local authorities which will include encouraging people to participate in decision-making and promoting awareness of how to become a member of the council. Further details of the aspects of the Act 2021 which contribute to diversity can be found in Annex C
98. Council meeting times are regularly highlighted as an issue for many serving councillors and, occasionally, as a disincentive for some people to stand. Councils review their meeting times at least once per term and several allow committees to have more flexibility to suit the committee members.
99. Councillors however have diverse backgrounds and varying personal, caring and professional commitments; it is therefore unlikely that council meeting times are ever going to be convenient for all members. For example, a councillor who has a young child might find it easier to meet during the day, whereas another may prefer to meet in the evening, depending on work commitments, schooling arrangements or childcare availability.
100. An option suggested at the Equality Cabinet Members Network, was that meetings of any one committee should be varied over the year between day and evening so that members were not always having to take the same time off work or arrange childcare. It was also noted that people should be advised before standing that meeting times may vary and could be changed, depending on the views of the newly elected councillors.
101. The potential permanent changes to meeting arrangements so that they can be held remotely may reduce the time required for travelling to meetings, however members with caring responsibilities may still require staggered meeting times as it is still not possible to provide care and attend a meeting simultaneously.
102. The Senedd and Parliament traditionally have recess periods, including a long Summer Recess. Approaches to the scheduling of meetings and official council business vary across authorities. Some councils have an official Summer recess, some do not schedule or scale down council meetings during school holidays. Councillors with children in school may be disadvantaged if council meetings are scheduled in the holidays, which may also prove to be a disincentive to stand.
103. The working group have suggested that Councils might, in addition to their Strategic Equality Plans commit to becoming Diverse Councils, publishing a ‘Diversity Declaration’ or a Council Motion outlining their
intentions to secure equal outcomes for all by working actively to drive cultural and structural change and pro-actively working to advance equality and remove the barriers to any individual’s participation in the economy, public and social life. This commitment would focus on ensuring that under-represented groups are more active participants in engagement and
decision making. Demonstrating a public commitment to improving diversity and an open and welcoming culture to all in advance of the 2022 elections.
104. A commitment by each local authority to becoming a Diverse Council could include
• Establishing ‘Diversity Ambassadors’ for each political group in the council who, working with each other and their local party associations could encourage recruitment of members from underrepresented groups.
• Encouraging and supporting Heads of Democratic Services, Elections officers/ Communications teams and /or Democratic Services Committees to undertake democratic outreach to promote the role of local councillor in, for example, schools or with underrepresented communities.
105. A draft example of what could be included in a Diverse Council Declaration is included at Annex D. It is proposed a draft Declaration, to be adapted and adopted locally, is developed in consultation with local authorities and partner organisations.
106. It is recommended that Council
107. Agrees to encourage a declaration by July 2021 from councils in Wales, on becoming ‘Diverse Councils’; to commit to:
▪ provide a clear, public commitment to improving diversity;
▪ demonstrate an open and welcoming culture to all;
▪ consider staggering council meeting times and agreeing recess periods to support councillors with other commitments; and
▪ set out an action plan of activity ahead of the 2022 local elections.
Diversity Targets
108. Political parties were encouraged, through the Diversity in Democracy programme, to commit to gender targets at the 2017 elections and Welsh Labour, for example, committed to fielding women in 40% of winnable seats.
109. Other initiatives, such as 50-50 by 2020 have previously adopted targets and the Welsh Government’s recently published ‘Diversity and inclusion strategy for public appointments3’ includes an action for:
‘Welsh Government to consult and if desired set overall targets across all Boards in Wales for XXXX, disabled, LGBT+ and young people and socioeconomic groups, recognising that individual Boards have varying specific requirements.’
110. Targets could be included in any ‘Diversity Declaration’ (if such an approach is agreed).
111. There are however mixed views on the value of targets. Targets
provide a focus, demonstrate an organisation’s ambition and commitment and provide a useful ‘hook’ for promotional and public relations purposes. However, targets need to be realistic and, as we are starting from a low base in terms of diversity of candidates and councillors, such targets may not appear ambitious enough.
112. Furthermore, whilst councils and the WLGA may seek to set targets to demonstrate ambition and commitment and can deliver a range of activities and reforms to encourage more candidates, other organisations notably political parties have the biggest influence over whether those targets can be achieved. Should councils determine local targets, they could therefore be criticized for not meeting targets which are largely not in their control.
113. At a recent meeting of WLGA Group Leaders it was suggested that whilst targets at Xxxx level are difficult, due to recruitment challenges, global targets for a whole authority area might be achievable.
114. It is recommended WLGA Council provides views on the adoption of local or national diversity targets.
Quotas or Reserved Seats
115. The Local Government Commission in 2017 concluded that
“Incumbency in local councils disproportionately benefits men…[and]…the slow pace of change is significantly driven by incumbency.” According to the Elections Centre, in Wales’ local elections in 2017, 895 incumbents stood for election (across 71% of seats) with 693 or 77% being successfully re‐ elected. In summary, incumbents are more likely to be re‐ elected than other candidates due to their profile, reputation, or track‐ record and, as
3 xxxxx://xxx.xxxxx/xxxxx/xxxxxxx/xxxxx/xxxxxxxxxxxx/0000-00/xxxxxxxxx-xxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxx-xxx- public-appointments-action-plan-year1-2020-21_0.pdf
most councillors are older, white men, most successful incumbents are therefore older white men. The impact of incumbency has therefore led some campaigners to call for term‐ limits, quotas, or all‐ women shortlists.
116. The Welsh Government has previously controversially sought to tackle the issue of incumbency with the Golden Goodbye Scheme in 2002 and the 2015 White Paper proposal to introduce term limits for councillors, a proposal which was roundly rejected by local government.
117. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, there are four types of quota in use across the world today. Legal or voluntary candidate quotas and legal or voluntary reserved seats, reserved seats can be used for example to regulate the number of women elected. These can be introduced as a temporary measure and can be used at local and national level.
118. The WLGA has never proposed the adoption of quotas as a formal WLGA policy, although gender quotas were supported by the WLGA’s former Leader, Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx of Newport, and the WLGA has previously outlined two ‘Reserved Seats’ models for discussion:
a. localised and targeted All Women Reserved Seats for all by‐ elections during a municipal term. If such vacancies were targeted through a voluntary agreement between the main political parties to field only all women candidate lists, gender balance could improve by up to 5% during a municipal term.
b. A wider approach, which might require some changes to electoral law regarding the nomination process, could see a similar approach adopted for ‘vacant’ seats, where councillors had decided to stand down or retire at the election. If such councillors were able to commit to or notify of their intention to stand‐ down by an early‐ enough deadline, political parties could agree to voluntarily field all‐ women candidate lists in such ‘vacancies’, which could see as much as a 10‐ 15% swing in terms of gender balance at an election. With such an immediate electoral impact, gender balance could potentially be achieved in local government over a 5‐ year period over the course of 2 elections.
119. Proposals such as quotas are controversial and there remain uncertainties regarding the legal basis for statutory quotas and political appetite forvoluntary quotas. The Welsh Government plans to consider whether gender quotas should be introduced in Wales. The Ministerial Round-table has been informed that there may be legal limitations around the Senedd’s competence which may prevent statutory quotas being introduced, even if the Welsh Government adopted quotas as a policy. Race Alliance Wales’ ‘Do the Right Thing’ concludes that ‘…it is illegal to reserve all places for any particular characteristic, with exception made for women, and that quotas can legally only be made in regard to women, not other
protected characteristic.’
120. More formal voluntary or statutory quotas have traditionally been recommended as a method of rapidly addressing imbalances in diversity and the effects of incumbency in perpetuating a lack of diversity. The Electoral Reform Society, Xxxxxxx Society and British Council, call for legislation to be introduced for quotas (about 40-45%) for women
candidates at elections. Others, such as the Women’s Equality Network Wales, Chwarae Teg and the Expert Group on Diversity in Local Government also call for this but do not stipulate that it should be established in legislation.
121. Extensive research undertaken by the above organisations and the Senedd committee, all point to some of the causes of underrepresentation being about how candidates are selected and elected and call for direct action to level the playing field so that women initially can be better represented.
122. The issues they describe are selectorate bias and processes, electorate bias and party group culture. The playing field is not level for some, due to conscious or unconscious bias, fostered by the image of incumbents and the culture of political groups and parties. The image of the best person for the job is often, whether consciously or not assumed to be a white middle class, middle aged man because this traditionally has been what a typical councillor looks like. The routes to and process of selection traditionally support this position.
123. Research undertaken by the Women’s Equality Network Wales (Annex B indicates that –
• “Among the twenty Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) countries registering the sharpest growth in the proportion of women in parliament during the last decade...half had introduced legal quotas. By contrast, among the twenty OSCE countries lagging behind in growth...none had implemented legal quotas.
• 100 Countries world-wide now have some form of gender quotas in place and 40 also use them for intersectional groups such as XXXX women.”
124. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance has outlined several ‘pros and cons’ of quotas:
Cons:
• Quotas are against the principle of equal opportunity for all, since women are given preference over men.
• Quotas are undemocratic, because voters should be able to decide who is elected.
• Quotas imply that politicians are elected because of their gender, not because of their qualifications and that more qualified candidates are pushed aside.
• Many women do not want to get elected just because they are women.
• Introducing quotas creates significant conflicts within the party organization.
• Quotas violate the principles of liberal democracy.
Pros:
• Quotas for women do not discriminate but compensate for actual barriers that prevent women from their fair share of the political seats.
• Quotas imply that there are several women together in a committee or assembly, thus minimizing the stress often experienced by the token women.
• Women have the right as citizens to equal representation.
• Women's experiences are needed in political life.
• Election is about representation, not educational qualifications.
• Women are just as qualified as men, but women's qualifications are downgraded and minimized in a male-dominated political system.
• It is in fact the political parties that control the nominations, not primarily the voters who decide who gets elected; therefore, quotas are not violations of voters' rights.
• Introducing quotas may cause conflicts but may be only temporary.
• Quotas can contribute to a process of democratisation by making the nomination process more transparent and formalised.
125. The main arguments for introducing quotas are not just about ensuring equality and to better reflect wider society, but because more diverse life experiences lead to better, more rounded decision-making; it would not just amplify the voice of women but also impact on the nature of debate and the decisions taken. Several organisations argue that quotas are the only way to see a step-change in diversity based on the evidence of impact where they have been introduced, but also the slow progress in changing local government diversity and diversity in UK politics generally. Quotas however remain a contested concept and have not been universally supported when previously considered in a Welsh context. There were mixed views among the working group members and several leaders expressed reservations about the
introduction of quotas during the Electoral Reform Society ‘Equal Power Equal Voice’ Roundtable debate in October 2020.
126. The Equality Cabinet Members network also considered the risk around the language of ‘quotas’, particularly in terms of public perception as diverse candidates could be perceived as being tokenistic, undermining the credibility of high-caliber candidates.
127. It is recommended that Council provides views on the introduction of statutory or voluntary quotas for Welsh local elections.
Diversity of the WLGA
128. Representation on the WLGA Council is one area where local authorities could make a positive difference and signal their commitment to change. It is not possible to state with certainty the percentage of underrepresented groups on the Council as this should be identified by each person themselves and this exercise has not been done, however, although there are more women leaders than ever before, the Council does not have proportionate representation of women or BAME councillors.
129. Some local authorities have delegations of only two or three members to the Council and it will therefore be challenging for them to significantly change their membership, however, members may consider that there is an opportunity for authorities to proactively nominate more diverse members to the WLGA Council. The WLGA Council could also seek to appoint more diverse members as role models in Spokesperson or Deputy Spokesperson roles or involve wider councillors as Champions in the work of the WLGA.
130. Recommendations
It is recommended that WLGA Council:
127.1 recognises the work of the WLGA’s Cross-Party Working Group on Diversity in Democracy;
127.2 agrees to encourage all political parties, through the WLGA Political Groups, to commit to proactive and coordinated activities such as those listed at paragraph 80 above to improve diversity in local government democracy;
127.3 Adopts a formal position calling for the introduction of resettlement grants for senior salary holders;
127.4 agrees to encourage all councillors to claim any necessary allowances or expenses incurred;
127.5 agrees to encourage a declaration by July 2021 from councils in Wales, on becoming ‘Diverse Councils’; to:
127.5.1 provide a clear, public commitment to improving diversity;
127.5.2 demonstrate an open and welcoming culture to all;
127.5.3 Consider staggering council meeting times and agreeing recess periods to support councillors with other commitments; and
127.5.4 set out an action plan of activity ahead of the 2022 local elections.
127.6 provides views on the adoption of local or national diversity targets; and
127.7 provides views on the introduction of statutory or voluntary quotas for Welsh local elections.
Report cleared by:
Cllr Xxxx Xxxxxxxx, Joint WLGA Spokesperson for Equalities, Welfare Reform and Anti-Poverty & Co-Chair of Working Group
Cllr Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Joint WLGA Spokesperson for Equalities, Welfare Reform and Anti-poverty & Co-Chair of Working Group
Author: | Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx | Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx |
Head of Policy | Policy and Improvement Officer | |
E-mail: |
ANNEX A
WLGA working group on Diversity in Local Democracy
Members who have fed into the working group:
• Co-Chair - Cllr Xxxx Xxxxxxxx (Labour), XXXX spokesperson for Equalities, Welfare Reform and Anti-Poverty, City and County of Swansea
• Co-Chair - Cllr Xxxxx Xxxxxxx (Labour), WLGA Spokesperson for Equalities, Welfare Reform and Anti-poverty, Cabinet Member for Social Care, Health and Well-being, Cardiff Council
• Cllr Xxxxxx Xxxxx (Liberal Democrat), Chair Corporate Overview Scrutiny Committee, Bridgend CBC
• Cllr Xxxxxx Xx’Xxx (Labour) Lord Mayor, Cardiff Council
• Cllr Xxxx Xxxxxx (Independent) Deputy Leader, Merthyr Tydfil CBC
• Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxx (Conservative), Cabinet Member for Social Justice and Community Development, Monmouthshire County Council
• Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx (Plaid Cymru), Executive Board Member for Communities and Rural Affairs, Carmarthenshire County Council
• Cllr Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx (Plaid Cymru) Chair Licensing and Planning Committee, Isle of Anglesey Council
• Xxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx (Labour) Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations, Bridgend County Borough Council
• Xxxx Xxx XxXxxxxxx (Independent), Conwy County Borough Council
• Xxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx (Conservative) Cardiff Council
• Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx (Liberal Democrat) Cardiff Council
• Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx of Newport (Labour), Newport Council who chaired the working group initially in her capacity as WLGA Leader
Views have also been provided through discussions with members and officers in:
• Equalities Cabinet Members’ Network
• Chairs of Democratic Services Network
• Heads of Democratic Services Network
Officer Support
• Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Head of Policy (Improvement and Governance) WLGA
• Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Policy and Improvement officer (Democratic Services) WLGA
• Xxxxxx Xxxxx Communication Officer, WLGA
• Xxx Xxxxx, Head of Democratic Services, City and County of Swansea
ANNEX B
EXTRACT FROM A WOMENS EQUALITY NETWORK (WEN) WALES BRIEFING PAPER
The case for quotas to deliver equal and diverse representation February 2020
Evidence supporting quotas
• Research shows that quotas are the “single most effective tool for ‘fast tracking’ women’s representation in elected bodies for government.”
4
• Among the twenty Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) countries registering the sharpest growth in the proportion of women in parliament during the last decade...half had introduced legal quotas. By contrast, among the twenty OSCE countries lagging behind in growth...none had implemented legal quotas.5
• There is international backing for gender quotas. Various international institutions, including the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action, the EU and the Council of Europe support their use.
• Ireland has successfully used quotas requiring that at least 30 per cent of the candidates each party stands nationally are female (rising to 40 per cent after seven years). The percentage of women candidates increased 90 per cent at the 2016 election compared to the 2011 election, with a corresponding 40 per cent increase in the number of women elected— 35 in 2016 compared with 25 in 2011.6
• 100 Countries world-wide now have some form of gender quotas in place and 40 also use them for intersectional groups such as XXXX women.
• A report published by the United Nations in 2012 found that out of the 59 countries that held elections in 2011, 17 of them had quotas. In those countries, women gained 27% of parliamentary seats compared to 16% in those without.7
4 Drude Xxxxxxxx et al., Atlas of Electoral Gender Quotas, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance [IDEA], IPU and Stockholm University, 2013.
5 Xxxxxx, X. and Xxxxx, M. for OSCE, Gender equality in elected office: a six-step action plan, 2011
6 Xxxxxxx, X. and Xxxxxxx, X. ‘The Irish legislative gender quota: the first election’, Administration, vol 65(2), May 2017
7 xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx/xxxxxxxx/0000/xxx/00/xxxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx- festival
Types of Quota
Different types of gender quota have been used in different countries, depending on the electoral system and local circumstances. The Expert Panel on Electoral reform8 describes the three main types as:
• Candidate quotas which introduce a ‘floor’ for the proportion of male or female candidates a party stands for election. These could be applied in the form of constituency twinning for First Past The Post (FPTP) seats. They could also be applied to multimember systems such as STV or Flexible List at a constituency or a national level. Parties in Scandinavia, Spain and Austria have voluntarily adopted similar quotas, ranging from 33 per cent to 50 per cent.
• Requirements for the ordering of candidates on any list element of the system. Voluntary quotas of this nature have been used by parties in Wales in Assembly elections, for example zipping of regional candidate lists. (I.e. listing candidates alternately according to their gender)
• ‘Reserved seats’ to which only female candidates could be elected. This type of quota is widely used in South Asia, the Arab region and sub Saharan Africa.
Examples of Incentives used:
• Croatia has legally binding quotas and uses incentives - for each MP representing an underrepresented gender, political parties receive an additional 10 per cent of the amount envisaged per individual MP;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: where 10 per cent of the funding provided to political parties is distributed to parties in proportion to the number of seats held by MPs of the gender which is less represented in the legislature,
• Two for the price of one deposits for two candidates of different genders could be used in Wales —this would appear to us to be proportionate in the context of seeking to ensure that the gender balance in the Assembly reflects the gender balance in the communities it serves.9
xxx.xxxxxxxx.xxx.xx / @wenwales
8 A Parliament that works for Wales, Report of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform, November 2017
9 A Parliament that works for Wales, Report of the Expert Panel on Assembly Electoral Reform, November 2017
ANNEX C
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ELECTIONS (WALES) ACT 2021
The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 includes provisions which will contribute to diversity in local government democracy. These are:
• Entitlement to Job sharing for executive members and committee chairs
• A duty on principal councils to produce a Public Participation Strategy and for it to be reviewed regularly. This will include encouraging people to participate in decision making and promoting awareness of how to become a member of the council.
• A duty on political group leaders to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by members of their group.
• Electronic broadcasting of full Council meetings initially, and other meetings to be announced later, following ongoing consultation by WG with Councils.
• The provision of multi-location attendance at council meetings including physical, hybrid and remote attendance.
• Provisions enabling the maximum period of absence for each type of family absence for members of local authorities to be specified within regulations and for adoptive leave to reflect that which is available to employees.
ANNEX D
(DRAFT) DIVERSE COUNCIL DECLARATION
The following provides a draft declaration. It is proposed that this is further developed in consultation with authorities, representative organisations and will be informed by emerging priorities from councils’ own diversity and equality action plans and emerging priorities from the Welsh Government’s Race Equality Action Plan.
This Council commits to being a Diverse Council. We agree to
• Provide a clear public commitment to improving diversity in democracy
• Demonstrate an open and welcoming culture to all, promoting the highest standards of behaviour and conduct
• Set out a local Diverse Council Action Plan ahead of the 2022 local elections. Including:
o Appoint Diversity Ambassadors for each political group on the council to work with each other and local party associations to encourage recruitment of candidates from underrepresented groups.
o Encourage and enable people from underrepresented groups to stand for office through the provision of activities such as mentoring and shadowing programmes and information and learning events for people interested in standing and official candidates.
o Proactive engagement and involvement with local community groups and partner organisations supporting and representing under- represented groups
o Ensure that all members and candidates complete the Welsh Government candidates’ and councillors’ survey distributed at election time.
o Set ambitious targets for candidates from under-represented groups at the 2022 local elections
• Work towards the standards for member support and Development set out in the Wales Charter for Member Support and Development.
• Demonstrate a commitment to a duty of care for Councillors by:
o providing access to counselling services for all councillors
o having regard for the safety and wellbeing of councillors whenever they are performing their role as councillors.
o taking a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment by members including through social networks.
• Provide flexibility in council business by
o regularly reviewing and staggering meeting times
o encouraging and supporting remote attendance at meetings and
o agreeing recess periods to support councillors with caring or work commitments.
• Ensure that all members take up the allowances and salaries to which they are entitled, particularly any reimbursement for costs of care, so that all
members receive fair remuneration for their work and that the role of member is not limited to those who can afford it.
• Ensure that councillors from under-represented groups are represented whenever possible in high profile, high influence roles.
Mae'r dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol
Dyddiad /Date: 15 April 2021
Gofynnwch am/Please ask for: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Llinell uniongyrchol/Direct line: 029 20468615
Ebost/Email: xxxxxx.xxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
To:
Group Leaders Chairs of Councils
Chairs of Democratic Services Committees
cc WLGA Council, Chief Executives & Heads of Democratic Services
Dear colleagues,
Diversity in Democracy
As attention understandably focuses on the Senedd elections in a little over a month’s time, it is important we look ahead and begin planning for the local elections in May 2022.
One of the key messages of the WLGA’s Leadership Academy is that ‘you need to be ordinary enough to be a councillor, but also extraordinary enough to be a councillor’.
There is no doubt that councillors have been extraordinary during the past twelve months of the coronavirus pandemic. But to be ‘ordinary’, councillors also need to be like the people they represent and reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Despite previous action and campaigns, progress has been slow and we all recognise there remains a lack of diversity in our councils.
We need more women, more young people, more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, more disabled and LGBTQ+ candidates standing in 2022.
The WLGA has therefore committed to making a step change in local government diversity at the 2022 local elections. The WLGA Council endorsed the enclosed Diversity in Democracy report at a special meeting earlier this month. The report is the culmination of the work of a cross-party working group and builds on the action plans and ambitions of councils and partners.
The WLGA Council debate was passionate and progressive and there was unanimous support for concerted and collective action across the family of local government and within political parties.
Xx Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Chief Executive
Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru
Tŷ Llywodraeth Leol Rhodfa Drake CAERDYDD CF10 4LG Ffôn: 029 2046 8600
Welsh Local Government Association
Local Government House
Drake Walk CARDIFF CF10 4LG Tel: 000 0000 0000
xxxx.xxxxx xxxx.xxxxx
@WelshLGA
Croesawn ohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg a byddwn yn ymateb i ohebiaeth yn yr un iaith.
Ni fydd defnyddio’r xxxxx iaith na’r llall yn arwain at oedi.
The WLGA will take forward several actions nationally and we have already launched a xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxx website. As Group Leaders, we will make representations to political parties to take action and make progress and we will also make the case to the Welsh Government and the Independent Remuneration Panel that councillors should be entitled to ‘resettlement grants’ (effectively redundancy payments) should they lose they seat at an election.
The Council recognised the diversity work already under way locally but called for concerted and ambitious local action. We would therefore be grateful if you could work with your political colleagues and prioritise action locally, promoting the take-up of members’ allowances and progressing ‘Diverse Council’ declarations by the summer.
Members’ allowances play a critical role in encouraging greater diversity; some councillors can be disproportionately affected if they are on low incomes or have caring responsibilities. Many councillors are dissuaded from claiming their full entitlements to allowances, such as reimbursements of costs of care or travel, due to peer or public pressure. The WLGA Council therefore unanimously agreed that we need to xxxxxx a culture where all councillors are encouraged and supported to claim any necessary allowances or expenses to which they are entitled, and we ask that you lead and encourage this culture locally.
The WLGA Council also unanimously agreed that all councils should commit to a declaration by July 2021 on becoming ‘Diverse Councils’ in 2022, to provide a clear, public commitment to improving diversity. The report includes an ‘outline’ Declaration to:
• Provide a clear, public commitment to improving diversity;
• Demonstrate an open and welcoming culture to all;
• Consider staggering council meeting times and agreeing recess periods to support councillors with other commitments; and
• Set out an action plan of activity ahead of the 2022 local elections.
Councils may however wish to undertake further action or commitments within their Declarations according to local priorities.
The WLGA Council discussed the merits of positive action and there was support for the use of voluntary quotas in local elections; this is a matter for local groups and parties but where such voluntary approaches have been adopted in the past, there has been significant progress in terms of gender balance. The WLGA Council also unanimously agreed that councils should set targets to be representative of the communities they serve at the next elections.
Councils’ local diversity work will be supported by a national awareness raising, publicity and support through the WLGA and Welsh Government. WLGA officials will be meeting with Heads of Democratic Services in April to share ideas and approaches to develop local Diverse Council Declarations.
We are confident you will share the WLGA Council’s commitment and look forward to working with you in promoting Diversity in Democracy and achieving our shared ambition
Croesawn ohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg a byddwn yn ymateb i ohebiaeth yn yr un iaith.
Tudalen 54
Ni fydd defnyddio’r xxxxx iaith na’r llall yn arwain at oedi.
We welcome correspondence in Welsh and Xxxxxxx and will respond to correspondence in the same language.
Use of either language will not lead to a delay.
to ensure our council xxxxxxxx better reflect the diversity of the communities they serve following the 2022 local elections.
Yours sincerely,
Xxxx Xxx Xxxxx XXXX Presiding Officer
Cllr Xxxxxx Xxxxxx,
WLGA Leader
Cllr Xxxxx Xxx
WLGA Conservative Group Leader
Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
Joint WLGA Spokesperson for Equalities & Co-Chair of Working Group
Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxx
WLGA Independent Group Leader
Cllr Xxxxx Xxxxxxx Joint WLGA Spokesperson for Equalities & Co-Chair
of Working Group
Cllr Xxxxx Xxxx
WLGA Plaid Cymru Group Leader
Croesawn ohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg a byddwn yn ymateb i ohebiaeth yn yr un iaith.
Ni fydd defnyddio’r xxxxx iaith na’r llall yn arwain at oedi.
Mae'r dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol
CYNGOR CAERDYDD CARDIFF COUNCIL
DEMOCRATIC SERVICES COMMITTEE: 19 JULY 2021
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
“POTENTIAL CANDIDATE” EVENT
Reason for this Report
1. The purpose of this report is to seek the views and direction of the Democratic Services Committee regarding the provisional plans to provide a ‘Potential Candidate’ event, for anyone considering standing as a Cardiff Councillor at the Local Government Elections in 2022 or would like more information about Local Government, Cardiff Council and the role of Councillors.
Background
2. The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 places a duty on Councils to encourage local people to participate in decision-making and to produce a Public Participation Strategy (section 40 of the Act). This new legislation takes effect from 5th May 2022, but may be regarded as current good practice. The Strategy must include how the Council intends to promote awareness of:
• the functions of the Council’s among local people,
• how local residents can become a member of the Council and
• the roles and responsibilities of an Elected Member
3. With the next Local Government Elections scheduled for 2022, the provision of a ‘potential candidate’ session in 2021 would support the achievement of these duties and provide an opportunity to develop options for inclusion in the Participation Strategy.
4. Local Democracy Week is held every year in October with the purpose of:
• strengthening links between elected representatives and their communities
• increasing participation in the democratic process
• involving citizens in community affairs
• increasing knowledge of local democratic institutions and processes.
5. This year’s Local Democracy Week (11-15 October 2021) would be an ideal time to begin preparations for the elections and to actively involve the electorate in the democratic process. However, given the current workloads and the complex co- ordination required to deliver this ‘Potential Candidate’ event, may not be achievable during that specific week, however it should be achievable before the end of the year.
Issues
6. It is proposed that Cardiff Council hold a “Potential Candidate” sessions before mid- December 2021 but preferably during Local Democracy Week which can be attended by any constituents of Cardiff.
7. The event would take approximately three hours and comprise three main parts. The first part would outline the tiers of government, an overview of Cardiff and of Cardiff Council. Part 2 would provide information about being a councillor, with Part 3 providing information on how an individual can become a candidate and the processes for being elected.
8. The session is planned to provide information and not to be political. If potential candidates require further information regarding political parties, they can be signposted to political representatives outside of this event.
9. The following topics are being proposed for inclusion at the event:
Part 1
a. Overview of the Tiers of Government.
This will take the form of a quiz which will pose questions in the form of a simple scenario with multiple choice answers. Attendees will have to identify which tier of Government is responsible for delivering the relevant services to support the given scenario. For example, which tier of government is responsible for the maintenance of the M4 between junctions 30 and 33. The possible answers may include UK Government, Welsh Government, Cardiff Council and Highways England. The correct answer would be identified and how Cardiff Council provides maintenance for the highways within its boundaries.
This section would also outline the various tiers of government and the influences they have in Wales and in Cardiff in particular.
b. An overview of Cardiff
This will be a short section describing Cardiff in respect of its residents, businesses, diversity, culture, and its role as the Capital of Wales.
c. Overview of Cardiff Council
A description of the organisation, the key services provided by the Council, its responsibilities, how it is funded and how Council determines its budget allocation.
Part 2
d. The role of a councillor
This part will outline the roles and responsibilities of a councillor and include:
• Xxxx work, representing and supporting their communities
• An overview of the decision-making processes of the Council
• An overview of the Code of Conduct
• The support provided to Elected Member
• Experiences of current Councillors (cross-party)
Part 3
e. An overview of the Electoral roles and responsibilities in Cardiff.
f. Standing for Election
• Qualification,
• Nomination,
• Uncontested Elections
• Restrictions and offences
• Sign posting for further information:
o Electoral Services
o Political groups
o Electoral Commission
o WLGA “Be a Councillor” handbook
10. The event is intended to be as interactive as possible in order to engage effectively with those attending and to aid their understanding of the subject matter.
Development and Support
11. Following direction from the Democratic Services Committee, the agreed elements of the session will be co-ordinated by the Head of Democratic Services and the Operational Manager Electoral Services in collaboration with key officers to ensure that the content is clear and concise and that appropriate arrangements are in place. It is hoped that additional support would also be provided at the event from:
a. Cross party representation from existing councillors to utilise their “real-life” experience to bring the event to life for those attending.
b. Returning Officer, Deputy Returning Officer or appropriate representative.
c. Monitoring Officer, Deputy Monitoring Officer or a suitable representative
d. S151 Officer, Head of Finance or appropriate representative.
e. Media and Communications Officers to support social media activity Promotion and Publicity
12. Initial discussions with the Communications & Media officers suggest that this event would stimulate positive interest from the constituents of Cardiff. Opportunities to publicise the event could be provided via the Councils website, press releases, and social media with the actual even being webcast not only for live streaming but for subsequent viewing on the Council’s website. The webcast views may also provide an indication of engagement with the event.
13. Partner organisations and other bodies including Community Councils could be informed of the event with the aim of attracting those individuals who may already be interested in or who have already planned to stand as a Councillor. Councillors will also be requested to promote the event to community and other groups using their own networks and communication channels. A full media plan will be developed to maximise participation and engagement for this event whilst making best use of resources.
14. The level of interest from the public to participate in the event cannot be gauged at this time. The publicity for the events would request that those wishing to participate, register
their interest in attending in the event and confirm if they were considering standing in the Local Government Elections in May 2021. This would assist in identifying the levels of engagement and participation for the event.
15. Supporting information would be made available on the Council’s Democracy webpage. These webpages require some development to ensure that they act as suitable portal to house a variety of information and media as well as will signposting to other sources of information including but not limited to Welsh Parliament, Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), One Voice Wales, Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales and the Public Services Ombudsman.
Locations, and timings
16. It is anticipated that the event would be delivered as a remote event bi-lingual event with individuals being able to join the live event from their own homes using their own computer equipment. It is proposed that these sessions be held in the early evening starting at approximately 5.00pm. This will provide wider scope of access for those individuals interested in participating in these events who are currently working or have caring responsibilities to consider.
Views of the Democratic Services Committee
17. The views of the Democratic Services Committee will be essential to ensure that a suitable event is delivered which will achieve the requirements of the duty placed on the Council by the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.
18. The Committee’s views are sought on the following:
• A suitable title for the event. The generic title “Potential Candidate” may not inspire interest. Alternative options for a suitable title for the event would be welcomed.
• The proposed content of the event and any proposals for improvement.
• How Committee members would like to be involved in the event?
• How will the success of the event be measured? Attendance, views of the webcast, webpage hits, potential candidates standing for election, Potential candidates being elected.
Legal Implications
19. Relevant legal provisions are set out in the body of the report.
Financial Implications
20. There are no financial implications directly arising from this report. The development of this event and its associated activities and resources including: promotion, social media messaging, Democracy website improvement, simultaneous translations and translation of supporting material will be identified and found from within existing financial resources.
RECOMMENDATION
21. The Democratic Services Committee is recommended to:
a. Consider the report and the proposals for the Potential Candidate event; and
b. Provide direction to the Head of Democratic Services for the development of a public event which will meet the new legal duty of the Council (which takes effect from May 2022) to promote awareness of:
• the functions of the Council’s among local people,
• how local residents can become a member of the Council and
• the roles and responsibilities of an Elected Member
X XXXXX
HEAD of DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
13 July 2021
Background Papers:
Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021
Mae'r dudalen hon yn wag yn fwriadol
CYNGOR CAERDYDD CARDIFF COUNCIL
DEMOCRATIC SERVICES COMMITTEE: 19 July 2021
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC SERVICES
REVIEW OF KEY DOCUMENTS
Reason for this Report
1. The purpose of this report is to inform the Democratic Services Committee of the key documents which will be used in the development of the Elected Member Induction Programme following the Local Government Elections in 2022.
2. The Committee is requested to recommend these documents to Council for approval and adoption.
Background
Role of the Democratic Services Committee
3. The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, Part 1, Chapter 2, xxxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx/xxx/0000/0/xxxx/0/xxxxxxx/0 requires local authorities to appoint a Democratic Services Committee to oversee the Democratic Services functions of the Council, ensure that the work is adequately resourced and report to the full Council accordingly. The Democratic Services functions include Members’ Services, Committee Services and Scrutiny Services, but not Cabinet Support Services.
Issues
Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy.
4. In March 2019, Council approved the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy as recommended by the Democratic Services Committee. In January 2020 the Committee considered a proposal for the categorisation and prioritisation of learning activities and to approve the implementation of an appropriate pilot process until the full review of the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy was undertaken.
5. No further changes have been identified for the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy. The revised Strategy V2.0 has been attached at Appendix A for consideration and agreement of the Committee.
6. The Committee is requested to recommend the revised strategy to Council for approval.
Elected Member Role Descriptions
7. On 14 January 2019 the Democratic Services Committee considered the following role descriptions and agreed that they be submitted in due course to Council for approval:
• Elected Member.
• Democratic Services Committee Member.
• Democratic Services Chair.
• Scrutiny Committee Member.
• Scrutiny Committee Chair.
8. Development of the remaining role descriptions were not sufficiently progressed for consideration by the Committee or for approval. The role descriptions have not been updated to reflect the changes necessary to reflect the Local Government & Election (Wales) Act.
9. To ensure that any potential candidates or returning Elected Members are provided with a consistent understanding of the roles they will be undertaking when they are elected as a councillor or to which they may be appointed by Council, it is recommended that the WLGA role descriptions updated for 2021 be adopted by Council. A copy of the WLGA Role Descriptions for 2021 is attached at Appendix B. This document has been updated to reflect the introduction of the Governance & Audit Committee and includes a new role description for a Political Group Leader.
10. These generic role descriptions can then be updated during the 2022-27 administration to better reflect the roles of Elected Members in Cardiff. The previously updated role descriptions will be used as reference for the tailored Cardiff role descriptions that will be developed during the next administration.
Member Mentoring Scheme
11. Elected Members in Cardiff are provided with a range of essential support and development activities, but these cannot always cater for some of their individual and immediate needs. Mentoring is an approach to development which can meet these needs with the support of experienced Elected Members.
12. In 2012, the Chair of the Democratic Services Committee wrote to all Elected Members to seek support from experienced Members from all political parties to act as mentors, and to seek interest from mentees. The Democratic Services Committee supported a cross party Mentoring Scheme, and this was to be reflected in the matching process. Elected Members were to be asked to state whether they would wish to be a mentor or a mentee and if they had a preferred partner.
13. No further information is documented or held by the Democratic Services Team regarding any mentoring arrangements that were undertaken although Xxxxxxxxx was included in the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy for development during this administration.
14. It is understood that the Elected Members currently undertake informal mentoring arrangements where newly elected or other members discuss issues with each other, member to member or have informal discussions with appropriate officers who provide
suitable advice. It is anticipated that with a suitably trained number of Member Mentors this may then become a more formalised arrangement.
15. The role of the trained Member Mentors will provide opportunities to help the newly Elected Members to “grow” quickly into their role and will assist in developing their skills, knowledge, understanding and behaviour. The newly Elected Members could be for those:
a. Members elected for the first time as a Councillor in 2022.
b. Members re-elected as a Councillor in 2022 with a break in their service.
c. Members elected as a Councillor between the 2022 and 2027 elections.
d. Members elected following the 2027 Elections if the mentor retains their seat on the Council.
16. The Head of Democratic Services will also train as Member Mentor to enable those Independent Members who may not have easy access to another Elected Member Mentor to be mentored. This is not an ideal situation but is considered as a fall-back position if necessary.
17. Training can be provided by the WLGA in early in 2022 to ensure that there are sufficient mentors available immediately after the election when the mentors are able to provide the greatest benefit. The training will follow the WLGA Guidance for Member Mentors as attached at Appendix C.
18. Following the training, each political group will be able to offer their new members a mentor to support them if they so wish. It has been previously been identified that initial meetings between mentors and mentees were held weekly but as time progressed the meetings became less frequent until it was mutually determined that after approximately one year no further meetings were required. However, mentors and mentees may continue their relationship and provide a familiar source of advice and guidance even after the formal mentoring has ceased.
19. Therefore it is proposed that the WLGA guidance for Member Mentoring be adopted as the basis to provide member mentors following the Local Government Elections in 2022.
Financial Implications
20. Any expenditure for the providing of Member Development activities will be met from the Member Development Budget.
Legal Implications
21. Under the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011, Part 1, the Democratic Services Committee is responsible for overseeing the democratic services functions of the Council, ensuring this work is adequately resourced; and reporting to full Council accordingly.
22. The Democratic Services functions (which must be discharged by the Head of Democratic Services) are defined as follows:
(a) to provide support and advice: to the authority in relation to its meetings; to committees of the authority and the members of those committees; to any joint committee which a local authority is responsible for organising and the members of that committee; in relation to the functions of the authority's scrutiny committees, to members of the authority, members of the executive and officers; to each member of the authority in carrying out the role of member of the authority (but excluding a member’s role as an Executive member);
(b) to promote the role of the authority's Scrutiny Committees;
(c) to make reports and recommendations to Council in respect of the number and grades of staff required to discharge democratic services functions and the appointment, organisation and proper management of those staff; and
(d) any other functions prescribed by the Welsh Ministers.
23. In determining how to exercise its functions, the Committee must have regard to the statutory guidance issued by the Welsh Ministers: xxxxx://xxx.xxxxx/xxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx- measure-2011-guidance (chapter 3)
The information set out in the body of this report and its appendices provides the framework for the development of the Member Induction Programme 2022, intended to ensure Members receive the support and advice required to effectively discharge their roles.
RECOMMENDATION
24. The Committee is requested to consider the detail in the report and to:
a. Recommend the approval and adoption by Council of the revised Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy V2.0 (Appendix A).
b. Recommend the approval and adoption by Council of the WLGA Role Descriptions (Appendix B) for use in the 2022 induction programme (to be updated in due course to better reflect the roles undertaken by Councillors in Cardiff in the new administration period).
c. Adopt the WLGA guidance for Member Mentoring (Appendix C) as the basis to provide member mentors following the Local Government Elections in 2022.
XXXX XXXXX
HEAD of DEMOCRATIC SERVICES 13 July 2021
Appendix A - Elected Member Learning & Development Strategy 2019-22 (Revised) V2.0 Appendix B - WLGA Framework Member Role Descriptions and Person Specifications Appendix C – WLGA Guidance for Member Mentors
Background Papers: None
Contents
Expectations of the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy 6
Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Member Learning and Development 7
Democratic Services Committee 7
The Head of Democratic Services 8
Political Leaders (supported by Party/Group Whips) 8
Directorates and Departments 8
Phase 3 – The Core Functions 10
Phase 4 – Identifying the Needs of Individual Councillors 10
Phase 5 – Individual & Continuing Development 11
Member Development Activity Survey 15
Prioritisation of Member Development activities 15
Methods of learning and development 15
Member Development Programme 16
Access to learning and development opportunities 17
Attendance at Member Development Activities 17
Learning and development records 17
Evaluation of Individual Activities 18
Review of the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy 18
Enhancing the current arrangements for Elected Member Learning and Development .18 Role Descriptions 18
Potential Candidate Briefings 19
Learning and Development Support for Community Councils 20
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The role of a Councillor can be complex and challenging and is getting more so. The responsibilities and duties placed upon us by the Welsh Government, the Council, through the provision of its services and Councillor duties, and the communities we represent, grow and change with each election. Councillors are expected to carry out many roles ranging from community leader to taking on additional responsibilities within the council structure. Councillors have to balance the needs and interests of their community, their political party or group, and the council as a whole as well as, of course, their personal, family and employment commitments.
Constantly changing priorities, needs and legislation require difficult decisions for which Councillors need to be well informed. The provision of services, as well as the search for new and collaborative ways of working, for both front line and back office operations, can, in many cases, require difficult choices and a need for more information. Just as challenging can be the task of explaining these decisions, and dealing with the impact of these choices in our own communities. For many Councillors, this is something they may not have had to do before and might involve dealing with residents who are opposed to the outcome.
It is essential that the Council meets the needs of Councillors and provides excellent development opportunities to assist them in serving the citizens of this city. In fact, the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 directs Councils to place more emphasis on Member Development. The Democratic Services Committee will be working to ensure that Cardiff offers all its Councillors the best personal development opportunities to enable them to gain the knowledge and learning they may need, to properly serve the city and its citizens. The council also recognises that looking after the Wellbeing of Councillors is equally important and seeks to set the standard of excellence in both these areas.
The council sees the needs of Councillors in Cardiff as of paramount importance. This Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy sets out what are seen as the development priorities for the induction of newly Elected Members as well as the identification of each Councillors ongoing development, learning and wellbeing needs. As Councillors knowledge and experience grows, sometimes over many electoral cycles, the opportunities for them to undertake wider roles increases, bringing greater responsibilities and pressures. These new roles and responsibilities may require further learning and development. This strategy is intended to assist in equipping all members with the necessary skills, knowledge and help to meet the challenges that they may face during their term of office.
Councillor Xxxxxxx Xxxxx-Xxxxxxxxx Chair of Democratic Services Committee
Expectations of the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy
Elected Members are an integral part of setting the strategic aims and objectives of the Council. They also ensure that these objective are met and that high quality cost effective services are delivered to the residents of Cardiff.
This Council is working to support the development of all of its Elected Members and to ensure that they are able meet the demands of their roles. Cardiff Council is committed to ensuring that:
• There is a planned and structured approach to Elected Member Learning and Development;
• Elected Members have access to appropriate means to assist them to acquire relevant knowledge and develop the skills necessary for their roles;
• Learning and development, wherever possible, is linked to the roles of Elected Members;
• Access to learning and development activities is equitable;
• Elected Members are encouraged to identify their own development needs and participate fully in learning and development activities;
• Elected Member learning and development activity is adequately resourced within available budgets;
• The Member Development Programme will be produced and updated on a regular basis, to support the Council’s strategic plans, the roles and functions of Elected Members and key challenges affecting the Council’s priorities.
Roles and Responsibilities for Elected Member Learning and Development
The Democratic Services Committee will provide direction to the Head of Democratic Services when reviewing the development and support requirements of Elected Members. This will include identifying learning and development priorities and the adequacy of the Member Development budget.
To assist in the prioritisation of learning opportunities, the Democratic Services Committee has categorised topics for inclusion in the development of the Member Development programme as follows: has developed the following matrix to reflect the:
• requirement to undertake a learning activity
• likely knowledge and experience of some Elected Members
• importance and relevance of the learning activity.
Requirement | Newly Elected Members | Experienced Members | Committee Members | Executive Members / Chairpersons/ Group Spokesperson |
Legislative/Constitutional | Mandatory | Mandatory | Mandatory | Mandatory |
Auditors, Inspectors & Regulators, Corporate Policy | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
Committee Specific | Beneficial | Useful | Recommended | Useful |
Service Area/provision | Beneficial | Beneficial | Beneficial | Beneficial |
Personal | Beneficial | Useful | Useful | Beneficial |
Regional/National | Beneficial | Useful | Useful | Beneficial |
Essential - Those development topics for quasi-judicial functions
such as Planning for Planning Committee, Licensing etc where members who have not attended the training will not be able to take part in the decision making. This category will also include those topics which are key to an Elected Member’s role e.g. Corporate Parenting, Code of Conduct, Corporate/Council Policies, GDPR and Safeguarding.
Advisory - This category may include topics which are important but not essential such as Risk Management and Scrutiny Questioning Skills which are very informative and support a Councillor’s role.
Optional - This category identifies topics that may be useful to some Councillors but these are not a priority and could be
considered as interesting and useful in supporting a Councillor’s role.
These categories This matrix will be applied by the Head of Democratic Services who will then assess if topics should be delivered to all Elected Members or targeted for specific groups of Elected Members i.e. all scrutiny members or all of the Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee etc. The Head of Democratic Services will liaise with the Chairperson of the Democratic Services Committee regarding the categorisation and delivery of development topics as necessary.
The Democratic Services Committee will also consider any benefits which could be achieved by providing a tiered level of development. This would enable one level for those elected members with existing skills, knowledge or abilities and for a more detailed introduction for those members who are new to the topic.
The Head of Democratic Services
The role of the Head of Democratic Services is to:
• produce and monitor the Member Development Programme,
• collate any identified learning and development needs, and
• inform and plan the on-going Member Development Programme,
• Identify opportunities which support the wellbeing of Elected Members and enhance their personal resilience.
Political Leaders (supported by Party/Group Whips)
The responsibility of political leaders (Party/Groups Whips) is to:
• endorse the aims and intentions of the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy;
• Promote participation in the Member Development Programme to enhance the knowledge and skills of individual members;
• Raise awareness of the support mechanisms available to improve the wellbeing and personal resilience of all of their Party/Group Members;
• Encourage all of their Party/Group Members to achieve their potential.
Directorates and Departments are responsible for identifying and delivering service specific learning and development in co-ordination with the Head of Democratic Services and the Democratic Services Committee
Individual Members are responsible for:
• identifying their own development needs;
• seeking opportunities to improve their effectiveness and increase their potential;
• attending arranged learning and development activities;
• sharing their knowledge and skills with their peers;
• reviewing their learning and development activities;
• applying the knowledge and skills developed through the activities;
The day-to-day co-ordination of learning and development activities will be the responsibility of the Head of Democratic Services and the Democratic Services Team in liaison with representatives from the Council as necessary
A systematic induction programme will be provided for all newly Elected Members. The initial induction and subsequent Member Development Programme will be delivered as part of a phased approach as shown in Figure 1.
Details of each phase of the strategy are as follows:
To establish the newly Elected Members within the Council and will include:
• Fulfilling their statutory requirements regarding their Acceptance of Office and completing their Declaration of Personal Interests,
• Creation of ICT accounts and provision of ICT equipment.
• Authority for the use of personal information to set up remuneration payments, web pages and enable officers to carry out other necessary administrative functions.
• A briefing of the facilities available to Elected Members within the Authority
• The taking of official photographs for use on the Cardiff Council website and ID cards
Expected outcomes
The following are the expected outcomes from this phase:
• All Acceptances of Office completed
• Elected Member induction administration completed
• Cardiff Undertaking signed by all Elected Members
To provide Elected Members with sufficient knowledge to prepare them to undertake their initial role in the support of Council business. This phase may include briefings on the following topics from key officers:
The Chief Executive:
• Overview of the Council its services and structures
Corporate Directors/Directors:
• An overview of the Directorate Policy and Service Provision – policy context, challenges and achievements
The Monitoring Officer:
• Introduction to Local Government
• Constitution and decision making
• Members Code of Conduct
Head of Democratic Services
• Roles of and appointment to committees
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• Introduction to role descriptions
• The electronic meeting systems used at Council and Committee meetings
Expected outcomes
The following are the expected outcomes from this phase:
a. All Members have a basic knowledge of the Council, its structure and role
b. Code of Conduct completed by all Elected Members
c. Elected Members are able to effectively undertake their governance and decision making role at Council meetings
To provide Elected Members with the knowledge and skills to enable them to undertake their core functions as Elected Members. It is intended to provide a sound basis for decision making which is required by councillors to carry out their role effectively.
• Xxxx and Casework (including the Member Enquiry System)
• Personal Resilience
• Corporate Parenting
• Safeguarding
• Equalities and Diversity
• Decision Making for Cabinet Members
• Developing effective decision making for those appointed to the following:
o Audit Committee
o Constitution Committee
o Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee
o Council Appeals Committee
o Democratic Services Committee
o Employment Conditions Committee
o Local Authority Governor Panel
o Pensions Committee
o Standards & Ethics Committee
o Licensing Committee
o Planning Committee
o Public Protection Committee
o Overview and Scrutiny Committees
• Representing constituents at meetings ie Licensing and Planning Committees
• Chairing Skills
• Questioning Skills
• Using Social media and Handling online Abuse
• Managing difficult discussions
Expected outcomes
The following are the expected outcomes from this phase:
a. Elected Members understand the roles to which they have been appointed.
b. Elected Members are more able to carry their role in their wards and for the City.
c. Elected Members are aware of their responsibilities when representing the Authority
Phase 4 – Identifying the Needs of Individual Councillors
With the possibility of a large number of new Elected Members after an election, it will be necessary to undertake a Personal Review process1 as soon as possible. Learning, support and development needs will be identified at a number of levels which may include:
Personal Resilience and Wellbeing
All Elected Members will be informed of the personal support available to develop their personal resilience and ensure that their wellbeing is maintained throughout their time in office.
As an individual:
All Elected Members and in particular those who have been newly elected will have an opportunity to discuss their learning and development needs:
• with a suitable mentor1 as part of their induction;
• as part of a peer review process where learning and development requirements can be identified.
Role Specific:
• Role descriptions will be used as an aid to identify development needs particularly during a review process.
• Members whose roles change will be supported to review their learning and development needs.
• The identification of learning and development needs at political group level be achieved in consultation with the Head of Democratic Services and through the feedback from the Democratic Services Committee.
Corporate and Constitutional:
Member Development will be linked to corporate and constitutional priorities by the Head of Democratic Services in liaison with the Chief Officers, Heads of Service and the Democratic Services Committee.
Regional and National Initiatives:
Requests are often received from regional bodies or national organisations to provide development opportunities on key issues. These events will be integrated into the Member Development Programme by the Head of Democratic Services but may be in addition to the usual learning and development activities.
Expected outcomes
The following are the expected outcomes from this phase.
a. Elected Members have been offered a Member Mentor to assist in their development
b. Elected Members regularly identify their support and development needs.
Phase 5 – Individual & Continuing Development
To provide Elected Members with knowledge and skills related to:
• leading their community,
1 See Enhancing the current arrangements for Elected Member Learning and Development (Page 16-18-20)
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• developing those individual and specialist requirements identified within the personal review process,
• learning and development identified by the Democratic Services Committee.
• working with external partners.
Regional and National Development Opportunities
Opportunities may arise for regional development activities to be undertaken. This may include topics of common interest on a regional or national basis. These events may reduce costs and enhance outcomes due to the diversity of knowledge and experience of attendees, whilst also providing an opportunity for cross-council communication and collaboration.
The Leadership Programme
As part of the Academi Wales, the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) work in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver a Leadership Programme for Elected Members.
The Leadership Programme is a place where Elected Members, can explore the latest thinking in political leadership, and equip themselves with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the challenges that they face as councillors.
Initially authorities are offered 2 places. However, if every council does not take up its entitlement any unfilled places are made available for Authorities who have identified reserves. Attendance is capped at 3 – 4 councillors per authority per programme to ensure that confidentiality in action learning sets is maintained and that the benefits of having representatives from a variety of Councils are not diminished.
Elected Members can request via their political group to attend the Leadership Programme as long as they have sufficient experience to actively participate. A process for the allocation of available spaces to the Leadership Programme for the current term of office has been agreed by political groups as follows:
Year | Places | Allocation |
2017-18 | 2 | Labour x 2 |
2018-19 | 2 | Labour x 2 |
2019-20 | 2 | Conservative x 1 Liberal Democrat x 1 |
2020-21 | 2 | Conservative x 1 Labour x 1 |
2021-22 | 2 | Conservative x 1 Liberal Democrat x 1 |
Should there be sufficient interest a bespoke Leadership Programme could be provided by the WLGA specifically for Cardiff councillors. It should be acknowledged that this option does have financial implications and does not provide the networking opportunities with other Local Authority Members which is regarded as a beneficial element of the Leadership programme.
Expected outcomes
The following are the expected outcomes from this phase.
a. The Member Development Programme is compiled to meet the priorities of Elected Members;
b. Provision of support and learning opportunities meets the developing needs of Elected Members;
c. Member Development activities are relevant, cost effective and delivered to a high standard;
d. Delegate vacancies allocated to Cardiff Council on the Leadership Programme are fully utilised.
Figure 1
Elected Member Learning and Development
Phase 1
Admin
Phase 2
Essentials
Phase 3
Core Functions
Phase 4
Identifying Needs
Phase 5a
Individual Development
Phase 5b
Continuing Development
Core Learning
Individual Learning
Generic
Meeting the statutory requirements and establishing newly Elected Members within the Council
Preparation for the effective participation in Council Meetings
To provide an understanding of the roles to which Elected Members are appointed
Identify individual training needs
A Member Development Programme which meets the needs of the individual and the Authority
Continual Professional Development
Bespoke
Outcomes
Phase 1
Admin
Phase 2
Essentials
Phase 3
Core Functions
Phase 4 Identifying Needs
Phase 5A
Individual Development
Phase 5B
Continuing Development
All Acceptances of Office completed
Elected Member induction administration completed
Cardiff Undertaking signed by all Elected Members
All Members have a basic knowledge of the Council, its structure and role
Code of Conduct completed by all Elected Members
Elected Members are able to effectively undertake their role at Council meetings
Elected Members understand the roles to which they have been appointed
Elected Members are more able to carry their role in their wards and for the City.
Elected Members are aware of their responsibilities when representing the Authority
Elected Members have been offered a Member Mentor to assist in their development
Members regularly identify their support and development needs
The Member Development Programme is compiled to meet the priorities of Elected Members
Provision of support and learning opportunities meets the developing needs of Elected Members
Member Development activities are relevant, cost effective and delivered to a high standard.
Delegates vacancies allocated to Cardiff Council on the Leadership Programme are fully utilised.
Continuous Evaluation
Member Development Activity Survey
Elected Members will be surveyed within the first 12 months following the Local Government Elections to help inform the number of topics, frequency and timings of development events that will be held. The survey will identify the most appropriate time to provide learning and development events to maximise participation. This survey will be repeated at the mid-point of a term of office or when requested to do so by the Democratic Services Committee.
Prioritisation of Member Development activities
All requests to provide learning and development opportunities for Elected Members should include the following key information to assist when prioritising the delivery of Member Development activities:
• The subject of the learning activity.
• A brief outline description of the subject.
• The requirement/justification to undertake this learning, i.e. is there a statutory requirement, is it part of an on-going initiative?
• Who forms the target audience, i.e. All Members, Scrutiny Members etc.?
• What are the expected/desired learning outcome/objectives?
• Which officers/organisations will be delivering/facilitating this event?
• What is the anticipated duration of the session?
• What type of training activity is suggested i.e. 1 hour presentation with questions, 30 minute briefing, 2 hour interactive workshop etc.?
• How will this activity be evaluated to show that the anticipated benefits have been achieved?
The Head of Democratic Services will assess all requests and recommend to the Democratic Services Committee how these requests should be prioritised, categorised and if necessary tiered for inclusion in the Member Development Programme.
Methods of learning and development
A flexible approach to the delivery of learning and development opportunities will be adopted to meet the identified needs of individuals and groups.
A variety of methods may be used to deliver these opportunities which could include: seminars, workshops, e-learning and briefing sessions. Where appropriate, shared Member and officer development activities will be encouraged.
The Cardiff Academy Website is an online portal where suitable development opportunities are provided for Officers and Elected members.
Greater use of the e-learning facilities will be incorporated into the Member Development Programme and this will enable:
• Essential E-learning modules to be identified by the Democratic Services Committee and included as part of an Elected Member Induction. Elected Members will be expected to be complete the identified induction e-learning modules.
• Key topics to be identified for inclusion in the Member Development programme and categorised by the Democratic Services Committee accordingly. Elected Members may be requested to complete the specific e-learning modules by a particular date. A subsequent report will be provided by Cardiff Academy to confirm that the e-learning modules have been completed as requested by the Democratic Services Committee.
• Those returning councillors or those who have previously attended face to face training on topics such as Corporate Parenting will be able to undertake the e- learning module rather than attending an annual repeat of any face to face refresher sessions.
• Elected Members to undertake other e-learning activities for their own development which will be shown on their training records.
Assistance can be provided by the Democratic Services Team to enable Elected Members to engage with these learning activities and ensure that development records are maintained.
The WLGA have designed a series of Elected Members workbooks which can be used as an introduction or a refresher for key knowledge. They cover a broad range of generic skills as well as specific issues and service and or policy areas and their impact at xxxx level. The workbooks currently available are:
• The Effective 'Xxxx' Councillor
• Facilitation and Conflict Resolution
• Stress Management and Personal Resilience
• Health and Safety in the Council
• Making Sustainable Decisions
• Presentations from regional training sessions for Elected Members on their responsibilities towards Gypsies and Travellers
It will be the responsibility of the Head of Democratic Services to prepare the Member Development Programme in line with the priorities determined by the Democratic Services Committee. This will be a rolling programme that will confirm the Member Development activities for the following three months with topics for the subsequent 3 months being identified but not confirmed. This will allow the programme to be flexible and adapt to the changing needs and priorities of Elected Members and the Council.
If time dependant learning opportunities arise and there is no meeting of the Democratic Services Committee planned before the delivery of the event the
Chairperson of the Democratic Services Committee in liaison with the Head of Democratic Services will update the Member Development Programme as necessary.
Access to learning and development opportunities
All Elected Members will have equal access and opportunity to:
• information relating to learning and development opportunities.
• participate in learning and development opportunities, taking into account the needs of their roles and responsibilities and their personal learning needs.
• benefit from learning and development activities, regardless of ability, race, colour, national ethnic or social origin, gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, political or other personal beliefs.
Attendance at Member Development Activities
The Member Development Programme will be approved by the Democratic Services Committee and included in the Member Information and Diary of Meetings email circulated by Democratic Services.
Electronic invitations for Member Development activities will be placed in individual Elected Members electronic calendars. Elected Members will be requested to respond electronically if they are unable to attend the activity. It is vital that these responses are accurate as the facilitators of the events are provided with the anticipated attendance numbers to tailor their delivery of the session. The attendance of Elected Members at these Member Development Activities will be displayed on the Elected Members profile page on the Cardiff Council website.
At each session the attendance will be recorded and passed to Democratic Services. A summary of attendance at training events will be compiled and circulated to Group Whips on a regular basis to promote and encourage attendance of their Members.
Learning and development records
Democratic Services will collate and record information relating to Elected Member learning and development including attendance and the evaluation of activities which have been completed. The evaluation will also enable Elected Members to identify and record any additional learning needs which arise from a completed learning activity.
Elected Member learning and development, will be resourced from the allocated Member Development budget. Reasonable allocation will be made as part of the annual budget round and applied with regard to the corporate needs of the Authority. The Democratic Services Committee will monitor appropriate spend on the budget.
In house training will be provided by Directorates if the topic relates to their service areas. The costs for this type of event will be met from Directorate budgets and not from the Member Development budget.
The Democratic Services Team will be responsible for the co-ordination and support for Elected Members attending relevant conferences and events within its allocated resources. The Team will also coordinate the reimbursement of travel and out of county subsistence allowances.
It is the responsibility of the Head of Democratic Services to ensure that the evaluation of learning and development activities is carried out.
Evaluation of Individual Activities
All training providers will be required to incorporate an evaluation of the event into their learning session and Elected Members will be asked to complete a learning and development evaluation form. Elected Members are recommended to compile learning logs to support any self-assessment or review of their development requirements..
Evaluation forms will be analysed and the feedback collated into a report which will be presented to the Democratic Services Committee on a regular basis. This will enable the Democratic Services Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the Member Development Programme and ensure that the identified outcomes are achieved.
To ensure that any learning and development activity provided to Elected Members is delivered to the highest standards and that the aims and objectives of the event are met, it is intended that an internal subject matter expert or the Head of Democratic Services attend each learning event and evaluate the provider/facilitator. This will be essential for events delivered by external providers to ensure that value for money has been achieved and that an effective learning opportunity has been provided and achieves the planned outcomes.
Review of the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy
To ensure that the Elected Member Learning and Development Strategy remains an effective tool for Elected Members increase their knowledge. It will be necessary to plan a review the strategy. It is anticipated that the strategy will be reviewed in the Autumn of 2020, at the request of the Democratic Services Committee and in response to relevant changes to legislation or to the Authority.
Enhancing the current arrangements for Elected Member Learning and Development
The following topics are planned to be developed during the duration of this strategy:
The WLGA provides a suite of generic role descriptions which are being reviewed with the intention of adapting them to better reflect the roles that Elected Members undertake in Cardiff.
Role descriptions set out the responsibilities and functions of the role of an Elected Member. The person specifications describe the qualities and skills desirable to fulfil the role and can help when considering personal development.
Where Elected Members undertake more than one role it is anticipated that role descriptions would be combined. For example: Overview and Scrutiny committee chairs would be expected to undertake the role of Elected Member, Overview and Xxxxxxxx Member Overview and Scrutiny Chair.
The formal mentoring of Elected Members by experienced Members is strongly recommended and it is planned to be offered to all newly Elected Members. This will enable the mentee to develop the skills, knowledge, understanding and behaviours required for the Elected Member role. This is not a prescriptive or directive relationship but one which allows the mentee to find their own way, guided by the mentor.
Guidance for Member Mentors has been developed by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA). It is anticipated that experienced Elected Members identified by Political Groups will participate in a workshop facilitated by the WLGA to those undertaking a mentoring role. This will provide the appropriate level of support for newly elected to rapidly develop the necessary skills to become an effective Elected .
Returning Members who do not require mentoring will be provided with the opportunity to discuss their development needs as part of the Personal Review process. This process is to be developed but it is anticipated that it will enable Senior Elected Member Peers to be able to assist other Elected Members to identify their learning needs.
The key requirements of a Personal Review process are identified in the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011:
• A local authority must make available to each member of the authority an annual review of the member's training and development needs.
• The review must include an opportunity “to discuss” with a person who is, in the opinion of the authority, suitably qualified to provide advice regarding the training and development needs of a member of a local authority.
Establishment and effective use of the Personal Review process will enable this Authority to meet its requirement in accordance with the Measure and secure the provision of reasonable learning and development opportunities for its Elected Members.
The use of learning logs to record any development activities that have been attended will provide an opportunity to reflect on the event at a later date. These will also assist in the production of an Annual Report and support Personal Review discussions.
In order to promote local democracy and the understanding of the role of a councillor briefings for potential candidates will be held prior to Local Government elections. This event will inform those members of the public planning to stand for election of the:
• The criteria to stand for election,
• election process
• roles and responsibilities they will be expected to undertake as a councillor
• skills, knowledge and commitment necessary to become an effective councillor
• structure and remit of the Council
Learning and Development Support for Community Councils
With the introduction of a Community Councils Charter opportunities to identify appropriate common learning and development activities will be investigated although Community Councils may be asked to contribute to the cost.
Framework Member Role Descriptions and Person Specifications
June 2021
1
Tudalen 87
Welsh Local Government Association
The WLGA’s primary purposes are to promote a better local government, its reputation and to support authorities in the development of policies and priorities which will improve public service and democracy.
It represents the 22 local authorities in Wales with the 3 fire and rescue authorities and 3 national park authorities as associate members.
Welsh Local Government Association
Local Government House Drake Walk
Cardiff CF10 4LG
029 2046 8600 | xxx.xxxx.xxxxx
@WelshLGA
Published: June
Copyright: Welsh Local Government Association
Background
This is a set of generic role descriptions and person specifications for elected members. They are applicable in any authority and are made available as suggestions rather than prescription.
The role descriptions set out the responsibilities and functions of the role of the elected member. The person specifications describe the qualities and skills required of the member in the role and can help when considering personal development.
Where members undertake more than one role it is anticipated that role descriptions would be combined. For example: Overview and Scrutiny committee chairs would be expected to undertake the role of, Elected member, Overview and Xxxxxxxx Member and Overview and Scrutiny Chair.
These role descriptions are designed to be used alongside the Welsh Member Development (Competency) Framework which describes the skills knowledge and behaviours required of Councillors
This document has been produced collaboratively by the Welsh local Government Association, working with members and officers from all the authorities in Wales. It takes account of all the UK and Wales legislation affecting the role of members, including, most recently, the Local Government and elections (Wales) Act 2021.
Please contact Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Policy, and Improvement Officer (Democratic Services) XXXX. Tel 000 0000 0000 or e mail xxxxx.xxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Contents
Role description Page
▪ Elected Member 5
▪ Leader (and Deputy) 7
▪ Cabinet Member 10
▪ Chair of the Council 12
▪ Chair of Democratic Services Committee 14
▪ Member of Democratic Services Committee 16
▪ Chair of a Regulatory Committee 18
▪ Member of a Regulatory Committee 19
▪ Chair of Standards Committee 21
▪ Member of Standards Committee 23
▪ Chair of Governance and Audit Committee 25
▪ Member of Governance and Audit Committee 27
▪ Overview and Scrutiny Chair 29
▪ Overview and Scrutiny Member 32
▪ Leader of the Opposition 35
▪ Political Group Leader 37
▪ Member Champion Purpose and Role 41
▪ Member Champion Role Description 43
Elected Member Role Description
1. Accountabilities
▪ To Full Council
▪ To the electorate of their xxxx
2. Role Purpose and Activity
Representing and supporting communities
▪ To represent xxxx interests
▪ To be an advocate for the Council in the xxxx and communities they serve
▪ To be a channel of communication to the community on council strategies, policies, services, and procedures
▪ To represent individual constituents and local organisations, undertaking casework on their behalf and serving all fairly and equally
▪ To liaise with executive members, other council members, council officers and partner organisations to ensure that the needs of the local communities are identified, understood, and supported.
▪ To be vigilant and do everything possible to protect adults and children at risk from abuse.
▪ To promote tolerance and cohesion in local communities
Making decisions and overseeing council performance
▪ To participate in Full Council meetings, reaching and making informed and balanced decisions, and overseeing performance
▪ To participate in informed and balanced decision making on committees and panels to which they might be appointed.
▪ To adhere to the principles of democracy and collective responsibility in decision making
▪ To take corporate responsibility for the protection of vulnerable children and adults
▪ To promote and ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the provision of council and other public services.
Representing the Council (subject to appointment)
▪ To represent the Council on local outside bodies as an appointee of the Council
▪ To represent the Council on local partnership bodies, promoting common interest and co-operation for mutual gain
▪ To represent and be an advocate for the Council on national bodies and at national events
Internal governance, ethical standards, and relationships
▪ To promote and support good governance of the Council and its affairs.
▪ To provide community leadership and promote active citizenship.
▪ To promote and support open and transparent government.
▪ To support, and adhere to respectful, appropriate, and effective relationships with employees, the public and other members of the Council.
▪ To adhere to the Member’s Code of Conduct, member/officer protocols and the highest standards of behaviour in public office
▪ To have regard to the requirements of the Group Leader (where one exists) in matters of conduct and behaviour.
▪ To promote equalities and diversity
Personal and role development
To actively identify individual needs and participate in opportunities for development provided for members by the authority.
3. Values
To be committed to the values of the Council and the following values in public office
▪ Openness and transparency
▪ Honesty and integrity
▪ Tolerance and respect
▪ Equality and fairness
▪ Appreciation of cultural difference
▪ Sustainability
Leader (and Deputy) Role Description
1. Accountabilities
▪ To Full Council
▪ To the Public
2. Role Purpose and Activity
Providing political leadership to the Council
▪ To be a political figurehead for the Council; to be the principal political spokesperson for the Council.
▪ To provide leadership in building a political consensus around council policies
▪ To form a vision for the Council and community
▪ To provide strong, clear leadership in the co-ordination of policies, strategies, and service delivery
Appointing the Cabinet*
▪ To designate the appropriate portfolios
▪ To appoint appropriate elected members to each portfolio
▪ To allocate cabinet members to roles with regards to their abilities.
▪ To designate the Deputy Leader.
Representing and acting as ambassador for the Authority
▪ To represent the Authority to a high standard. Provide a strong, competent, and eloquent figure to represent the Authority both within the County and at external bodies.
▪ To represent the Authority on the WLGA coordinating committee and the WLGA regional partnership board.
▪ To provide leadership and support local partnerships and organisations.
▪ To represent the Authority in regional and national bodies as appropriate.
Providing leadership within the portfolio
▪ To fulfil the role of a portfolio holder, having regard to the role purpose and activities, and role specification of an executive member
▪ Managing and leading the work of the Cabinet and chairing meetings
▪ To ensure the effective running of the Cabinet by managing the forward work programme and ensuring its continuing development.
▪ To ensure the work of the Cabinet meets national policy objectives.
▪ To agree objectives with Cabinet Members and monitor progress.
▪ To advise and mentor other cabinet members in their work.
▪ To chair meetings of the Cabinet in line with the Constitution.
▪ In the Leader’s absence the Deputy Leader should fulfil this role.
▪ Participating in the collective decision making of the Cabinet
▪ To work closely with other cabinet members to ensure the development of effective council policies and the budgetary framework for the Council, and the delivery of high-quality services to local people.
▪ To accept collective responsibility and support decisions made by the Cabinet once they have been made.
▪ Working with officers to lead the organisation.
▪ To liaise with the Chief Executive, and other appropriate officers, on a regular basis
▪ To work with employees of the Council in relation to the strategic vision and direction of the Council, the management roles of officers and the development of policy issues.
▪ Leading partnerships and community leadership
▪ To give leadership to local strategic partnerships and local partners in the pursuit of common aims and priorities
▪ To negotiate and broker in cases of differing priorities and disagreement.
▪ To act as a leader of the local community by showing vision and foresight
▪ Internal governance, ethical standards, and relationships
▪ To promote and support good governance of the Council and its affairs.
▪ To provide community leadership and promote active citizenship.
▪ To promote and support open and transparent government.
▪ To support, and adhere to respectful, appropriate, and effective relationships with employees of the Council.
▪ To adhere to the Member’s Code of Conduct, Member/Officer Protocol, and the highest standards of behaviour in public office
3. Values
▪ To be committed to and demonstrate the following values in public office:
▪ Openness and transparency
▪ Honesty and integrity
▪ Tolerance and respect
▪ Equality and fairness
▪ Appreciation of cultural difference
▪ Sustainability
▪ Inclusive leadership
▪ Consensus building
Deputy Leader
▪ To fulfil the duties of the Leader in his or her absence
▪ To assist the Leader in specific duties as required
* Under constitutional arrangements for a cabinet model, either the Full Council or the Leader may appoint the Cabinet. In Wales it is common practice for the Leader to appoint the Cabinet under this model. This Role Description has been written accordingly, noting that councils may vary this arrangement.
Cabinet Member Role Description
1. Accountabilities
▪ To the Leader
▪ To the Cabinet (through collective responsibility)
▪ To Full Council
2. Role Purpose and Activities Providing portfolio leadership
▪ To give political direction to officers working within the portfolio
▪ To gain the respect of officers within the portfolio; provide support to officers in the implementation of portfolio programmes.
▪ To provide leadership in the portfolio
▪ To liaise with the appropriate scrutiny chair and receive scrutiny reports as required.
▪ To be accountable for choices and performance in the portfolio
▪ To have an overview of the performance management, efficiency, and effectiveness of the portfolio
▪ To make executive decisions within the Portfolio*
Contributing to the setting of the strategic agenda and work programme for the portfolio
▪ To work with officers to formulate policy documents both strategic and statutory.
▪ Ensure that the political will of the majority is carried to and through the Cabinet.
▪ To provide assistance in working up and carrying through a strategic work programme both political and statutory
▪ Carry out consultations with stakeholders as required.
▪ Make sure that the portfolio’s forward work programme is kept up to date and
accurate.
Providing representation for the portfolio
▪ To provide a strong, competent, and persuasive figure to represent the portfolio.
▪ Be a figurehead in meetings with stakeholders.
Reporting and accounting
▪ To report as appropriate to the Leader, Full Council, Cabinet, appropriate chair of scrutiny, regulatory bodies, and the media.
▪ To agree objectives with the Leader and report progress.
▪ To be the principal political spokesperson for the portfolio.
▪ To appear before scrutiny committees in respect of matters within the portfolio.
Taking an active part in cabinet meetings and decision making
▪ To show an interest in and support for the portfolios of others
▪ To recognise and contribute to issues which cut across portfolios or are issues of collective responsibility.
Leading partnerships and community leadership
▪ To give leadership to local strategic partnerships and local partners in the pursuit of common aims and priorities
▪ To negotiate and broker in cases of differing priorities and disagreement.
▪ To act as a leader of the local community by showing vision and foresight
Internal governance, ethical standards, and relationships
▪ To promote and support good governance of the Council and its affairs.
▪ To provide community leadership and promote active citizenship.
▪ To promote and support open and transparent government.
▪ To support, and adhere to respectful, appropriate, and effective relationships with employees of the Council.
▪ To adhere to the Members’ Code of Conduct, Member/Officer Protocol, and the highest standards of behaviour in public office
3. Values
To be committed to the values of the Council and the following values in public office:
▪ Openness and transparency
▪ Honesty and integrity
▪ Tolerance and respect
▪ Equality and fairness
▪ Appreciation of cultural difference
▪ Sustainability
▪ Inclusive leadership
* This only applies under constitutional arrangements where individual cabinet members or combinations of cabinet members are given individual responsibility for making decisions on behalf of the Executive.
Chair of the Council Role Description
Also suitable for Mayor* and Presiding Officer
1.Accountabilities
▪ To Full Council
2.Role Purpose and Activity
Acting as a symbol of the Council’s democratic authority
▪ As the ceremonial head of the Council, to be non-political and uphold the democratic values of the Council.
▪ To represent the Council at civic and ceremonial functions
Chairing Council meetings
▪ To preside over meetings of the Council, so that its business can be carried out efficiently.
▪ To ensure the Council conducts its meetings in line with the Council’s Standing Orders
Upholding and promoting the Council’s Constitution
▪ To ensure the Constitution is adhered to and, if necessary, to rule on the interpretation of the Constitution
Internal governance, ethical standards, and relationships
▪ To promote and support good governance of the Council and its affairs.
▪ To provide community leadership and promote active citizenship.
▪ To promote and support open and transparent government.
▪ To support, and adhere to respectful, appropriate, and effective relationships with employees of the Council.
▪ To adhere to the Members’ Code of Conduct, Member/Officer Protocol, and the highest standards of behaviour in public office
Work programming
▪ To prepare and manage an annual work programme for the Council to meet its legal obligations (e.g. setting the budget and the Council Tax and making appointments)
3.Values
To be committed to the values of the Council and the following values in public office:
▪ Openness and transparency
▪ Honesty and integrity
▪ Tolerance and respect
▪ Equality and fairness
▪ Appreciation of cultural difference
▪ Sustainability
Vice Chair
▪ To fulfil the duties of the Chair in his or her absence
▪ To assist the Chair in specific duties as required
* This Role Description describes the duties of the Chair or Presiding Officer of the Full Council or the Mayor in presiding over Council Meetings.
It does not provide the detail of the wider ambassadorial or ceremonial responsibilities required of the Mayor.