Issue - meetings

To request approval of the Councillor Development Strategy for South Kesteven District Council.

Purpose of the report

To request approval of the Councillor Development Strategy for South Kesteven District Council.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1. Approves the Councillor Development Strategy for South Kesteven District Council.

2. Delegated authority to the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Governance and Licensing to correct any minor typographical changes within the document.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Not to have adopted a Councillor Development Strategy.

To adopt the draft Councillor Development Strategy as attached at Appendix A.

To have suggested any amendments to the draft Councillor Development Strategy.

Reasons for the decision

It was considered good practice for Councils to have a strategic approach in place to identify and facilitate the training and development of their elected members. As part of the Corporate Plan the Council was required to produce and deliver a Councillor Development Strategy.

The criteria of the East Midlands Councillor Development Charter specified an expectation that the Council had a Councillor Development Strategy in place. It would therefore be difficult to have demonstrated that the Council met the necessary criteria to have achieved accreditation of Charter status without having adopted a Strategy.

Much preparatory work had been completed and the Strategy had been discussed at the newly established Councillor Development Group. The Councillor Development Group was an essential part of the Strategy.