Member Development

In Surrey, there are currently around 600 Councillors serving on the County Council and the 11 District and Borough Councils. While all are elected to office, they are a diverse group, each bringing their own individual experiences and skills to the role.

In order to maximise their potential, Members are constantly being offered a wide range of opportunities to learn more about the services or communities they represent, develop in their role as community leaders, acquire new skills or increase their capacity in an area they are already familiar with. This might be through attendance at a conference or as part of the training programme offered at their authority.

Within Surrey, the majority of training for Members is covered separately and differently within each authority. However, there are some core skills, knowledge and understanding that all Councillors need, whether they are a County Councillor or a District/Borough Councillor - sometimes both!

The Member Development Project has been set up to provide a shared approach to training for councillors across Surrey.

This project seeks to build on the work undertaken in the first round of the Preparing for Success Project (2007/08) and contribute to delivering against the following SEIEP priorities:

  • SEIEP Theme: capacity building, improving skills amongst members through combined commissioning and delivery of training

  • Priority: ensuring improved performance

  • Priority: delivering the efficiency targets by streamlining the training programmes in Surrey

  • SEIEP target: number of authorities signed up to the South East Charter for Elected Member Development

Using a network of Officers and Members from across the County, the project aims to both design and deliver a training programme on a countywide basis, focussing on the core areas that are common to all Members. This will ensure a consistent approach across Surrey and, by reducing duplication, provide opportunities for both cost efficiencies and service enhancements.

Four promotional events took place across Surrey in April 2009 to provide Members with further information on the Project and to seek views on the details of the future two-year programme. Following the consultation period a final report was submitted to the SIP Board on 16 June 2009.

As the project progresses, more information will be added to this website. Please use the menu to the left to navigate around our pages.