The four West of England local authorities have been
recognised
nationally for their joint work to support and train their local
councillors.
At a national awards ceremony held in Bristol, all four councils
–
Bath & North-East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and
South
Gloucestershire – were praised for their councillor
development
partnership.
The joint group offers the 266 councillors a comprehensive
development
programme enabling them to serve their communities more
effectively.
They meet quarterly with political representatives from each
authority.
Leader of North Somerset Council, Cllr Nigel Ashton said:
"We want
councillors to have the skills and knowledge to play an effective
role
in their communities and in the work of the council. This
award recognises our commitment to giving representatives of
the public the skills and training they need to be most
effective."
Some of the successful initiatives taken by this group
are:
· Joint commissioning of development activity leading to budget
savings
· Sharing planning of development activity, events and
resources,
gaining the best from each authority
· Building relationships between councillors from the four
authorities,
impacting on the effectiveness of other regional
partnerships.
· Sharing key councillor development projects and developing
innovative
solutions for delivery.
The award was given by Association for Public Service Excellence
and
the Municipal Journal. The APSE is a not- for-profit local
government
body working with over 300 councils throughout the
UK.
