Induction
For those candidates who are successful in winning their election the work of being a councillor will begin almost straight away. There are a number of statutory process that need to be completed soon after the election followed by an induction programme to get you up to speed on everything you need to start your role as a councillor.
The induction programme will last a few months and can be quite intense for the first few weeks as you will need to undertake specific training before you can vote on decisions at committees. Further on into the programme, you may only want to attend specific sessions that are relevant to your role.
Some of these training modules will also be available for you to undertake either online or via an e-learning module at your own pace. Further details on these modules will be provided closer to the election.
You should familiarise yourself with the below dates and prepare to be available to attend these sessions if successful. Please note, the below timetable is provisional and a final timetable of dates will be given to you upon delivery of your nomination paper.
Welcome and introductions
This will be the first session where all councillors will get to meet each other following the election. You will sign your declaration of acceptance of office (mandatory), have pictures taken for the website, meet officers and get an understanding of the layout of County Hall.
10 May 2022
Decision Making, Ethics and Code of Conduct
Before councillors can attend committee meetings and make decisions, they will all need to undertaken training on the code of conduct to ensure they understand the rules and expectations placed on them in their role. Its likely you will also be given your council ICT equipment at this session.
12 May 2022
Council AGM
This will be the first meeting of the new Council and will appoint the Chairman for the forthcoming council year. It is likely an induction session will be incorporated into this day to save councillors finding another time for a session separate to the meeting.
17 May 2022
Deferred Council Meeting
This will follow on from the meeting earlier in the week and will appoint the leader of the Council and the Cabinet as well as any other business that needs to dealt with. Again there will likely be another session combined on this day giving councillors more opportunity to meet officers.
19 May 2022
Online Service Introductions
This will be an opportunity for you to meet various officers and departments online. Using breakout rooms you will meet officers responsible for various services and get an understanding of how they operate.
23 May 2022
Licensing Committee Training
For those councillors who are appointed to be a member of the licensing committee, this training is mandatory and will bring you up to speed on licensing policies and provide details on the things to consider when determining an application.
24 May 2022
Introduction to Local Government Finance
This will be a session for members of the governance and audit committee, though all members are welcome to attend, and will give councillors and understanding of how local government finance works and the responsibilities of the governance and audit committee.
26 May 2022
Orientation Day
With Monmouthshire being a rural authority, there are many area offices and hubs throughout the County. This will be a day visiting the various offices and meeting staff within those hubs.
27 May 2022
Planning Committee Training
For those councillors appointed to the Planning Committee, this training is a mandatory session ahead of the first planning committee meeting. There are strict rules and procedures to be followed in determined a planning application and training is mandatory before voting on an application. This session is open to all councillors as well to help them understand the implications of applications that occur within their ward.
31 May 2022
Safeguarding, Corporate Parenting and Personal Safety
This session is for all councillors to help you understand the legal duties you have as a councillor with regard to safeguarding and also ensure you have the tools to carry out your role safely.
2 June 2022
Scrutiny Training
Scrutiny training will be open to all members to help them understand the role scrutiny plays in hold the executive to account.
7 June 2022
Various other training sessions will be held throughout the rest of 2022. These will be less critical in terms of the immediate knowledge you need to undertake your role but will be beneficial for you in terms of the wider picture and scope of the Council. These sessions will include equalities, welsh language, future generations, climate change, media training, data protection/FOI and digital sessions aimed to given you confidence and understanding of ICT in your role.