Being a Councillor

This module sets out what a councillor is for: a representative, decision maker, community leader and caseworker elected to serve a whole place and all its people. It explores the many hats of the role, the councillor's lifecycle and the councils you might serve on in Wales and England, then examines the Nolan Committee's Seven Principles of Public Life and how codes of conduct and standards regimes differ between the two nations.

This module examines casework, the part of the role residents see most directly, starting from the reminder that every case is someone's whole world and setting out six steps of casework done well. It covers boundaries on promises, personal data, confidentiality and safeguarding, uses John Seddon's idea of failure demand to show how casework patterns become policy signals, and contrasts the fixer with the enabler and advocate.

This module explores the councillor as a leader of place, drawing on Sir Michael Lyons' idea of place-shaping, Robin Hambleton's five realms of civic leadership and Avanti's capitals of place model from Huish and Milliner. It covers the roles of convenor, broker, champion and challenger, practical tools such as participatory budgeting, Arnstein's ladder of participation, hearing quieter voices, and the different well-being and participation duties in Wales and England.

This module examines group life and the council chamber: what a political group does, what is visible and hidden within it using a framework adapted from the Johari window, and the stakeholders pulling on every decision. It covers loyalty and conscience, the whip and its limits in quasi-judicial decisions, Baddeley and James's owl, fox, donkey and sheep, roles beyond cabinet, scrutiny as leadership and the craft of making the chamber work.

This module explores the move from ward to cabinet, where a portfolio becomes a promise to the whole area. It examines why a council's two top teams do not fit the textbook, drawing on Hambrick and Mason's Upper Echelon Theory. It sets out the portfolio holder's five threads, the line between political and managerial leadership, the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, what makes policy land and a first hundred days plan.

This module sets out the machinery behind council decisions: the scheme of delegation under section 101 of the Local Government Act 1972, the decision cycle, key decisions and call-in. It compares revenue and capital budgets, the annual budget cycle and the legal duty to set a balanced budget, explains the three statutory officers and section 114 reports, and distinguishes lawful predisposition from unlawful predetermination under section 25 of the Localism Act 2011.

This module covers the councillor's public voice: when to speak, using a two question grid on how an issue touches your people and your standing, and why public money is not party money under section 2 of the Local Government Act 1986. It sets out the pre-election period, officer and politician roles, personal accounts, local media, the campaigning and governing voices, and preparation for the May 2027 Welsh local elections.

This module addresses abuse and intimidation in public life with care, starting from the position that abuse is not part of the job. Drawing on the Local Government Association's Debate Not Hate surveys of 2025 and 2026, it names the kinds of harm councillors face and sets out duty of care steps, protections in Wales and England, personal safety habits and four habits that sustain wellbeing.

This capstone module brings the programme together through applied case studies. It examines the Local Government Association's 2025 Debate Not Hate survey and its lessons for councils and groups, job-share cabinet roles in Wales under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, and an illustrative planning row that tests predisposition and predetermination. It closes with the ward and whole area matrix, questions for your next year and a personal development plan.