The LRIP Member Development Programme is all about developing members’ skills and who better to learn from than each other.
So in this section a number of experienced councillors from across the Partnership give you the benefit of their time in office with a range of anecdotes and helpful advice on some key topics.
Their advice is in the form of video clips so we recommend you view the videos when using a broadband connection. For each topic, a text file is available to read if you can’t access the video clips.
Difficulties for councillors often arise through ignorance, because they don’t know who to speak to, they don not what the process is for getting issues resolved, they don’t know how far they can go within the system to get things done.
There can be some difficult situations, and I think that most of those come with development where some people want things other people don’t want them and you’ve got to try and walk a line I suppose really.
The most situation you can deal with is somebody’s personal problems that you don’t have any authority to look at or you can’t have an impact with it.
Rules and regulations within which councils operate can cause you problems too.
One of things I learnt early was that it’s only good to make a promise when you know you can really keep it and you’ve got the backing of your fellow members.
Just remember that you can not please all of the people all of the time.
Click on the links below to watch the videos: