GB-London: Debating Skills for Councillors

Taking part in constructive debate is an important part of the role of a local councillor. Debating is a core skill for effective community leadership and should be considered as part of comprehensive training or induction package for councillors.

To help councils support their councillors to develop this core skill the LGA is commissioning a set of resources to help this training be delivered locally.

We require a set of resources for use to facilitate training for councillors on strong debating skills. This will help to foster a positive culture of debating and discussion which will support councillors to use constructive challenge to deliver positive outcomes for residents.

This is not a "train the trainer" package; rather, the resources will enable staff of the councils choosing (this could be officers, external trainers or councillors themselves) to deliver training directly to councillors.

•Resources should enable trainers to facilitate a training session of no more than ninety minutes to councillors and must include clear session plans and detailed guidance notes to trainers on how to deliver the training session. •Resources may also include resources for councillors to work through in their own time.

•The resources can include professional, accessible and engaging template PowerPoint presentations, video(s), supporting workbooks and/or exercises - providers are welcome to propose the format that they believe will be most effective •The resources must clearly recognise and address the political context in which councillors and officers are working.

•Resources should consider how councillors can feed into training sessions to ensure they meet councillors' needs.

•Bids should include recommendations on how to measure impact of the training at a local level.