about 21st century councillor
Recruit them better, use them better.
A 21st Century Councillor is one who is a supported, confident, talented and professional community leader. One who understands but can also transform their place. One who can think strategically, as well as be informed and inspired by their local roots. In short, being a 21st Century Councillor is a role that many more people should understand and aspire to fulfilling for at least a part of their lives. Where this is not the case, change is not going to come through statutory obligations alone.
This is only going to change when we can confidently answer the question 'what are politicians for?'
The 21st Century Councillor Programme is exploring this question through real life best practice, ground up change, and support from members and officers alike to produce something different, and better, for their place.
The exemplars we are working with go at least some, or all, of the way to supporting that ambition. They all share the same enthusiasm to get on with transforming their political and corporate culture. There is a lot of hard work ahead - as we are having to open up stale procedures, question opaque bureaucracies and negotiate with resistant attitudes. It also means that although we know where the programme aims to get to - to have a tangible evidence base of what a 21st Century Councillor must look like, we also have to find the way there through some trial and error.
Member development, leadership of place, new scrutiny and frontline councillor are terms we are combining to make up this programme. The authorities below are all participating or in the pipeline:
But the success of this programme is the authority's willingness to develop ground-up, distinctive innovation - to meet the criteria being a 21st Century Councillor.
21st Century Councillor and be a councillor are both supported through funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (REIPs). The programme is also backed by the political leadership of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties.
