Supporting Authorities
Sharing Member Development Practice
The region already has a thriving Member Development Network where Officers and Members come together to share practice and resources.
We would welcome contributions from authorities and feedback on areas of interest. If you are interested in joining the regional network, or have any suggestions, please contact the Gateway Adviser.
Gateway AdviserAdditional ResourcesEvaluation Toolkit – Making a Difference
The North West has an excellent reputation, both regionally and nationally, for Elected Member development and the North West Charter for Member development has been a key part of the regional strategy. The North West Charter was developed by a small group of Members appointed to North West Employers.
The Regional Minister, Beverley Hughes MP, has supported the annual Celebration Event for the last four years, which is recognition of the importance of the Charter, and has said:
“I think, firstly, it (the Charter) has completely changed the perception that existed hitherto about the importance of Member development. When I first became a Councillor in 1986 that was not on the agenda at all and you really didn’t get any induction or very much, let alone continuous training, so it’s completely transformed the understanding about the importance of that. And, secondly of course, I think particularly here in the North West the Employers’ Organisation has shown a really important lead in how best to do that because of the programmes that they have incepted here and I think it has been a template that the rest of the country is following.”
The Charter begins with the following statement:
“At the heart of any local authority dedicated to meeting the needs of its community there needs to be a commitment to the development of its Elected Members“. This toolkit, funded by the North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (NWIEP), addresses the very difficult question:
“What impact does Member development have on communities?”
Evaluating impact is often left on the ‘hard to do pile’ and this toolkit provides a very timely and useful guide to help authorities review their practice. It has been produced specifically to support authorities that choose to have their Charter status reviewed at the Level Two exemplar status, but the principles will be useful for any authority interested in looking at the impact of their Member development work.
What This Toolkit is About
Local Councillors become involved and devote many long hours in order to represent their areas. Ultimately, this representation should contribute to making things better for the people in those areas. Member development adds to the responsibilities and hours that Members put in and therefore it should also add to their ability to represent their areas. Showing that Member development has created benefits or real change for communities is therefore extremely important.
This toolkit has been produced because:
- People can often forget that community impact is the ultimate reason they do Member development.
- Showing the link between Member development and community impact can feel extremely difficult to do.
This toolkit gives practical advice about how to show this link. It is based on the real-life experiences of five North West local authorities, backed up by relevant material.
The toolkit includes:
- Guidance to explain the process.
- Technical Notes- providing detailed information for Officers and Members thinking about how they evaluate their work.
- Case studies – to give you real life examples.
Making a Difference
For further information please contact Ruth Ashworth, Head of Corporate Projects and Assessments, on 0161 214 7113 or click here to e-mail Ruth.