West Midlands Member Development Network & Steering Group
Revised Terms of Reference April 2009
1. Set out below are the revised Terms of reference drafted to take account of the need to refresh the engagement of elected Members in the Steering Group and to ensure a widespread commitment to the principles of Member Development as a key means of improving the performance of local authorities. The Steering Group will be supported by a network of Member Development lead Officers.
2.Steering Group objectives:
To
- Provide strategic leadership on behalf of the Region’s local authorities with regard to championing the value of Member Development and its key role in improving the performance of local authorities.
- Act as the key reference group for advising the Regional Improvement & Efficiency Partnership in respect of the latter’s investment and support for Member Development during the period 4/2008 – 3/2011 (Improvement and Efficiency investment is described in the West Midlands Regional Improvement & Efficiency Strategy).
- Provide collective and individual support to individual local authorities with regard to promoting the Member Development Charter; the benefits of engaging with development and learning opportunities; and raising awareness of the requirements and expectations experienced by elected Members in contemporary local government.
3. The Network’s objectives:
To
- Develop and share best practice sub-regionally, regionally and nationally.
- Contribute to meeting the development needs of elected Members with regard to the development of elected Members, via shared commissioning and delivery of training; peer advice and the tailored support available through the Member Development Charter in the Region.
- Seek to increase the ambition of elected Members for their respective authorities and communities.
- Contribute to the intelligence needed to guide and influence the provision of tailored support delivered by both National and Regional providers or commissioned programmes.
- Contribute to meeting the development needs of Officers in their roles of supporting Members, including the provision of advice, development opportunities and peer support.
4. Governance
4.1 The Steering Group of elected Members will be supported by the Network made up of nominated people from each of the 33 local authorities (dependant upon the constitution of each authority, the Chair of the Member Development Steering Group or equivalent. Where no such hierarchy exists, each authority can nominate its representative).
4.2There will be quarterly meetings of the Steering Group or as business requires.
4.3A supporting group of Officers will carry out actions commissioned by the Steering Group and will network and meet as frequently as business requires in the delivery of the Member Development Work Programme. (See Outline work programme below)
4.4 The wider Network of members and practitioners will come together, as the work programme and business directs, in either a Network meeting to share work and good practice, i.e. allowing free network discussion time, or through Network Learning events in order to disseminate key information and best practice via the use external expertise when necessary and to undertake development and training.
- Chair and Vice Chair of the Steering Group will be Elected Members and nominated on an annual basis. A Member can serve as Chair or Vice Chair for up to two years. They will be responsible for Chairing the Steering Group meetings and seminars and being signatories to any work produced by the Network that is then shared with national bodies.
- Chair of the officer meetings to be a representative of the WMLB or, in their absence, to be agreed on a meeting by meeting basis.
- A work programme will be produced on an annual basis and shared with all local authorities. There will be an opportunity for local authorities to input into the work programme before it is finalised.
- Action points of all meetings will be recorded and shared immediately with the membership of the Steering Group and the Network of lead Officers.
NB: It is intended that greater use of e-mail to share activities and seek input rather than a reliance on physical meetings will be encouraged and supported via WMLB.
5. Membership protocol
5.1 Membership of the Steering Group should be open to all local authorities. Membership of the Steering Group is via nomination by each authority, as described above in 4.1.
5.2 In addition, all West Midlandsauthorities would be invited to nominate an Officer to actively participate in the Support Group. Following the initial nominations, the Steering Group Chair and the WMLB lead officer will determine the make up of the Officer Support Group
The Steering Group and Network will be supported by WMLB lead Officers and administrative support.
6. Evaluation
6.1 An annual process of evaluation of the effectiveness of the Network will be undertaken, with each authority invited to feedback their respective experience set against the Network’s objectives. Each authority will be encouraged to evaluate their own performance against the transferable framework provided by the West Midlands Member Development Evaluation Toolkit.
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