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NALC's Smaller Councils Committee recommends councillor training be part of the Local Council Award Scheme
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Smaller Councils Committee recommends that councillor training be a part of the Local Council Award Scheme's criteria following the committee meeting on 21 February 2023.
The Local Council Award Scheme is designed to celebrate the successes of the best local councils and provide a framework to support all local councils to improve and develop to meet their full potential. The scheme allows councils to show that they meet the standards set by the sector.
The Smaller Councils Committee, which represents the needs of smaller councils, had a lengthy discussion on whether councillor training should be mandatory. While the committee narrowly voted against mandatory training, members agreed that councillor training should be strongly recommended and included in the Local Council Award Scheme and the Annual Governance and Accountability Return.
The decision follows the Policy Committee’s agreement on 24 January 2023 that further engagement was necessary from the Smaller Councils Committee to assess the views on the mandatory status of councillor training across the sector.