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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 28th November 2025 be signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED: 4.1 That a survey of all current Members be undertaken to get their thoughts on any changes, if any, they would like to see for the 2027 Induction Programme. The results of the survey to be presented to the next meeting of the Democratic Services Committee on 27th November 2026. 4.2 A reminder, together with a deadline for completion of Thinqi badges be sent out to all Members, with an offer of support for completion if required. _______________________________ ______________________ CHAIR DATE
There were no apologies for absence.
There were no declarations of personal interest.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 28th November 2025 be signed as a correct record.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on the 28th November 2025 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: 4.1 That a survey of all current Members be undertaken to get their thoughts on any changes, if any, they would like to see for the 2027 Induction Programme. The results of the survey to be presented to the next meeting of the Democratic Services Committee on 27th November 2026. 4.2 A reminder, together with a deadline for completion of Thinqi badges be sent out to all Members, with an offer of support for completion if required. _______________________________ ______________________ CHAIR DATE
The Committee considered the report which consulted with Members on the format of the Induction Programme for 2027. The previous Members Induction was launched in May 2022, with the delivery of online and face-to-face events running from May to October 2022. With a lot of the Induction content and essential learning having been made available on the Council’s learning platform ‘Thinqi’ since then, Members’ views were invited on the programme format for the next Induction in 2027. A response to the following questions would provide guidance for the design of the new Induction programme: – Is the delivery format of the previous Induction programme still the most accessible way for learning content to be communicated? – If this is not the best way to engage with all newly elected members, what different format could the Induction take? – What changes, if any, would members like to see in the delivery format or timetable? With the introduction of dedicated pages on the learning platform, the essential learning modules that form part of the current Induction and specific Welsh Local Government Association Members Development Toolkit modules are accessible at any time, and this was an opportunity to remind members to complete essential learning modules. Comments on the Induction received from Members included: • Previous format was powerpoint focused, which did not engage members as much as it could have done. • A survey of all current Members should be undertaken to invite their opinion of what they thought of the previous format and what changes could be suggested. • The programme was not flexible for Members who work full time – shorter evening sessions should be offered. • There should be bite-size learning session available which can be fitted around Members’ who work – as there is a lot to learn. • Format should change – should be more flexible and modular – not just powerpoint presentations. • A more basic induction would help. A session of no more than an hour to assist Members with the amount of emails they can expect to receive, and what they need to do with them. • Not everyone is computer literate and support is required for those individuals. Comments on the Thinqi learing platform included: • Thinqi is good, but elements of the learning could be more engaging and more of a two way process. • Are there any mechanism where officers can find out if Thinqi badges have actually been completed by members. Initially Members were advised that the target date was August, but this was subsequently pushed back to October. Perhaps for the new Council in 2027 a firm completion date could be set. • When getting to the end of one of the badges – Members aren’t told which questions they’ve got right or wrong. Perhaps setting up small groups – either virtual or in person – would help newer Members with issues they have. This would also encourage working together. The following further comments were received: • Training provided over the years has been excellent, but what happens when Members ignore training they have been given and go against officer recommendations? What can be done about this? • Support for County Councillors has been excellent, and new Councillors need to be made aware of the opportunity available to them to learn Welsh with the support of the Council, which is an important thing for our communities. The Lead Business Partner (Learning & Development) advised that it was hopefully intended to redesign the Induction programme to make it little more accessible out of hours and have a bit more flexibility. If the Committee agreed, as a first step new members would be introduced to their equipment and registered onto Thinqi as a priority as well as offering learning sessions as was the case for the previous programme. Previous presentations which were heavy in powerpoint will be in a different format and perhaps the length scaled down to make them shorter. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED: 4.1 That a survey of all current Members be undertaken to get their thoughts on any changes, if any, they would like to see for the 2027 Induction Programme. The results of the survey to be presented to the next meeting of the Democratic Services Committee on 27th November 2026. 4.2 A reminder, together with a deadline for completion of Thinqi badges be sent out to all Members, with an offer of support for completion if required. _______________________________ ______________________ CHAIR DATE
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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