Modules

This module will give you an understanding of what procurement means for councillors and local government, help you recognise the various types of procurement and give you an awareness of why good practice is essential for successful procurement.

It also looks at the stages in the procurement process, the policy and standards behind procurement legislation and how a contract is created.

This module examines the key skills involved in chairing meetings effectively, including pre-meeting preparation, how to ensure that everyone is heard and ensuring that the meeting’s objectives are achieved.

The module also addresses the importance of political neutrality for the role of the chair.

A subject that is important at any time, this module summarises the key data protection principles and explores scenarios in which the security of data can be compromised.

The module provides guidance to councillors on working securely with the data that they encounter.

Our Equality and Diversity module summarises the six strands of equalities legislation, and reminds councillors of the importance of respecting differences and providing services to everyone without discrimination.

Various scenarios in the module help councillors to explore their obligations under the legislation.

The aim is for learners to understand what social media is and how it can benefit your council.

By the end of this course learners will know what is meant by social media and what the most popular tools are as well as how to develop a strategy for best use of social media to support their work.

The module also covers how to create profiles, pages, sites or content using the tools to promote what you are doing.

This module is designed to give you an insight into the purpose of local government, how it operates, who it involves and how it came about.

Whether you are new to local government, and completing this module as part of your induction, or are already working in the sector, the module will provide you with interesting facts and information, and links to other resources.

Following the 2010 General Election, the Coalition Agreement stated: “The time has come to disperse power more widely in Britain today.”

The Minister of State for Decentralisation, Greg Clark MP, undertook to change the law to shift power away from central government and towards local people. As a result, in December 2010 the Localism Bill was published.

This learning module looks at each of the Localism Bill’s proposals in turn.

Public speaking skills don’t come naturally to everybody, many people would rather do anything than stand up and speak in public. As a councillor it’s a key part of your role.

This module will show you how to give yourself the best chance of success.

This module will show you how to identify and assess risk in your organisation. It introduces the risk cycle and provides guidance on how you can develop strategies to reduce, avoid and manage risk.

It also identifies Member roles in the process of managing risk.

Information technology is at the heart of delivering better and more citizen-centred services.

This module approaches Information Technology (IT) from two perspectives – IT and Transformation, and IT and Councillors.

It explains the Transformational Government vision and how that is expected to shape the services that local authorities provide for the future. It also explores the many benefits that fully engaging with technology can bring to your work as an elected member.

This module provides an overview of eDemocracy and how it can be delivered. It also outlines the challenges and benefits to implementing an eDemocracy strategy and how to make a case for using eDemocracy.

Working with the media is the latest course in the Modern Councillor suite. It explores best practice around media interviews, guides you through preparation and the interview itself, and helps you to understand the interviewer’s motivation.

Working with the Media examines the process for dealing with crisis situations and equips you to approach interviews with broadcast or published media confidently.

In this module you’ll explore Writing for Web 2.0. You’ll learn about the different types of online reader and how they’re motivated.

You’ll discover the differences between print and web content and you’ll learn how to write simple, easy-to-understand web content that is clearly formatted and laid out.

As a newly elected councillor this module introduces you to your role and explores your motivations for becoming a councillor. We also look at the personal attributes needed for you to be successful for your community.

The key aspects of your role as community leaders and representatives of the citizens in your wards are examined, along with how decisions are made within different councils.

To conclude, you are given the opportunity to assess your newly-gained understanding in a practical exercise.