The 21st century councillor

• What is the range of roles that the 21st Century Councillor is required to perform?
• What are the competencies and skills that councillors require to undertake these roles?
• What are the support and training requirements of these roles?

These are the broad research questions addressed in a project on the role of the 21^st councillor. The questions mirror those asked in the 21^st Century Public Servant project and it is intended that the two projects are seen as interrelated rather than standalone pieces of work.

• Read more on the findings and resources from both parts of the research

The report reflects on the roles that councillors are playing, or recognise that they will need to be playing, within their organisations and localities. It explains why these roles are emerging as the key contributions for councillors, and then explores councillor careers and development, to consider how councillors can be supported to perform these roles effectively.

North West Employers (the Employers’ Organisation for the 41 local authorities in the North West of England) supported the work by facilitating access to elected councillors and organising regional events to share the findings. The findings are being with councillors in other regions, and with the LGA-SOLACE-PPMA 21^st Century Public Servant steering group to ensure that the themes have resonance outside of particular regional contexts.

A number of organisations are using the 21cc research outcomes to shape their member development policies and training, including Warrington’s member training prospectus (draft) and the LGIU Members Briefing: Top Five Challenges for the Local Government Workforce

The 21cc research was referenced in the 2017 Final Report of the Local Government Commission:  Does Local Government Work for Women? 

Find out more

• The project report, The 21st Century Councillor, published in July 2016.
• The project report, The 21st Century Public Servant, published in November 2014.
• A 4 page summary of the 21st Century Public Servant project.
• A  report from the Melbourne School of Government, Imagining the 21st Century Public Service Workforce (Melbourne School of Government and Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet, 2013).
• Discussion at the research blog site.