Minutes:
Benjamin Watts, General Counsel and Kay Goldsmith, Scrutiny Research Officer were in attendance for this item.
1. Mr. Watts introduced the update which would provide the Committee with an overview of progress in preparation for the May 2025 elections.
2. Mrs Goldsmith began by showing Members the “Evolve” branding and logo developed by officers for use in the member induction and wider development programme. The purpose of a single identity was to ensure that Members and officers could easily recognise available resources and know they were core member development offerings. The name "Evolve" was chosen to reflect KCC’s commitment to enhancing member skills and knowledge, enabling them to perform their roles to the best of their abilities.
3. The Committee expressed reservations about the brand name and logo design, reflecting that they were too far removed from the general KCC brand. Mr. Watts agreed that the brand would be reviewed and modified to better align with Members' expectations.
4. Mrs Goldsmith went on to explain about the pre-induction pack, a selection of key documents that would be shared with prospective candidates ahead of the elections. The pack was to include the following:
a. An FAQ page with information including payroll information, the ICT offer and where to park when visiting Sessions House.
b. A guide to committee procedures - a summary of parts of the Constitution that would aid Members during meetings. For example, committee etiquette, points of order, motions and amendments.
c. Committee overviews - these were single pages about each of the main committees setting out their purpose, examples of previous agenda items, and details about membership numbers and training available.
d. Member role descriptions - a copy of the document that sits alongside the Constitution online.
e. Local leadership framework for councillor’s workbook - a copy of the Local Government Association (LGA) workbook that Members would be able to use to frame their personal development needs.
f. A copy of the induction timetable so candidates could see the time commitment in the early weeks.
5. The Committee requested to see the pack at a future meeting, the date of which was to be arranged.
6. The Committee made the following comments and requested changes:
a. They wanted the pack to be written in plain English to ensure it was accessible for candidates.
b. The code of conduct to be included in the pack.
c. The use of infographics and visuals where possible to aid understanding. Mr Watts concurred, emphasising that the pack should be as visual and engaging as possible
d. The pack to highlight the significant time and effort required to be a councillor, along with an explanation of expectations regarding committee membership and groups.
7. Mrs Goldsmith moved on to the training offer for current Members. She explained that Cyber Security training hosted by colleagues in Cantium had been well received, with approximately 60 members attending.
8. A Microsoft apps workshop was to be organised for new Members to demonstrate the various functions and uses of the Microsoft suite of apps.
9. Inclusion workshops were in the diary, with a current sign up rate of around 25%. Mr Watts sought the views of the Committee as to whether they felt the training should go ahead as planned, noting how close it was to the upcoming elections. Following discussion, it was agreed that the training would be cancelled, with fresh dates found for after the elections.
10. Mrs Goldsmith raised with the Committee a review of the Member KNet pages and whether there were alternative options such as SharePoint available. Members suggested this be tabled at the next meeting to allow them time to consider.
RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted.