41 27 February 2017
18 October 2016
File: (16/1207)
Report no: PRC2017/1/51
Training Policy for Community Boards and Community Committees
Purpose of Report
1. The purpose of this report is to recommend a revised Training Policy for Community Boards and Community Committees.
|
Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee recommend that Council: (i) approve the revised Training Policy for Community Boards and Community Committees should they be established; OR (ii) approve the revised Training Policy for Community Boards and Community Committees with any additions and/or alterations made by the Policy & Regulatory Committee. |
Background
2. The current Training Policy for Community Boards and Committees was developed in early 2009 and adopted by Council on 21 July 2009. At the time Council decided that the training budget for Boards and Committees should be $2000 per Board/Committee. This decision was related to a decision during the LTCCP (now LTP) process to reduce the budget for all Elected Members’ training by $40,000 as part of Council’s response to the recession and the need to keep any rates increase as low as possible.
3. The Training Policy for Community Boards and Community Committees is now ready for review. Officers have developed the revised Training Policy with reference to the discussions held as part of the review of Boards/Committees Functions and Delegations. Community Board and Committee members have commented and these comments are discussed in paragraph 5 following.
Discussion
4. It has been seven years since the last Training Policy was developed and decisions regarding the level of funding available made. Changes have occurred since that time in terms of:
a. membership of Boards/Committees;
b. the financial position of the community and Council (the effects of the 2008 recession have reduced over time); and
c. the cost of training has increased as has the cost of conferences and seminars relevant to the role/s that Board and Committee members undertake and the cost of attendance.
5. During the discussions held with Boards/Committees as part of the review of their Functions and Delegations the following points were made regarding training and development for Board and Committee members.
a. The desire for greater responsibility for making decisions about members’ training needs and budget required;
b. The need for higher quality induction (including having CCO’s and contractors made aware of membership of Boards/Committees), training and development opportunities; and
c. The desire for a higher level of accountability for decisions made.
6. Given the contextual changes that have occurred since 2009 it is timely to review the Training Policy for Community Boards and Committees.
Options
7. The following changes to are suggested:
a. That it is made clear that any requests for training can be directly linked to the purpose and principles of the Training Policy;
b. The number of Community Board and Community Committee members being funded through the training budget to attend the biennial Community Boards’ conference is limited to one per Board/Committee;
c. A maximum cap of $3000 for training and development per Community Board/Community Committee will be applied;
d. The maximum amount Council will pay towards the training needs and work programme of any one Hutt City Council Community Board/Committee member is $1500 per financial year;
e. There will be an overall training budget of $15,000 available to meet the training needs and work programme requirements of Hutt City Council Community Board and Community Committee members each financial year;
f. The Board or Committee may approve any request for funding up to $750;
g. The approval of funding must be made as a formal decision as part of the Community Board/Committee meeting therefore any request, whether it is for less than $750 or more, must be placed on the relevant Board/Committee agenda for public discussion; and
h. Requests to attend formal training courses, seminars, forums or conferences and other events with a value over $750 are to be made by the Chair or Deputy Chair of the Board or Committee in writing to the General Counsel for a decision accompanied by a recommendation regarding whether or not the request should be approved.
Consultation
8. Community Boards and Community Committees have been consulted as part of the review of Functions and Delegations. and their comments are as follows:
a. higher quality induction (including having CCO’s and contractors made aware of membership of Boards/Committees);
b. greater number of training and development opportunities; and
c. having decision making and budgetary responsibility around which community projects would be funded, training for members, members’ attendance at courses, conferences and seminars e.g. LGNZ courses
Legal Considerations
9. There are no legal considerations.
Financial Considerations
10. There are some financial considerations as a higher level of funding has been recommended however previous years have shown that the training budget is not oversubscribed and generally not all funding put aside for training and development for elected and appointed members is used.
Other Considerations
11. In making this recommendation, officers have given careful consideration to the purpose of local government in section 10 of the Local Government Act 2002. Officers believe that this recommendation falls within the purpose of the local government in that it ensures that Community Boards and Community Committees have access to training to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Boards and Committees in representing the interests of their specific community and supporting Council in its governance role by facilitating local input into Council’s decision-making processes.
12. It does this in a way that is cost-effective because it ensures that decision making regarding training and development for elected and appointed members is transparent and robust.
|
No. |
Title |
Page |
|
1View |
Training Policy for Community Boards and Community Committees |
45 |
Author: Wendy Moore
Divisional Manager, Strategy and Planning
Approved By: Kim Kelly
General Manager, Strategic Services