Your ward, your place
The councillor role, casework and community leadership.
- Level
- Bitesize
- Learning time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Where
- Being a Councillor
- Price
- £39
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Read the full terms
Certificate of Completion
Overview and Outcomes.
Overview
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.
What you'll develop
In this Bitesize, you will develop the ability to:
- Describe the four core dimensions of a councillor's role and explain why none of them is optional.
- Distinguish the main types of council in Wales and England, and identify how the tier you serve on shapes what you can change.
- Apply the six steps of casework done well, from listening through to closing the loop and learning, to cases in your own ward.
- Set out the boundaries that keep casework fair and safe, including promises, officer roles, personal data, confidentiality and safeguarding.
- Explain place-shaping, Hambleton's five realms of civic leadership and the capitals of place, and how each widens your view of a place.
The Modules.
1 hour 45 minutes of learning.
- 01Foundations: The Role of a CouncillorThis 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.37 min
- 02Ward Leadership and CaseworkThis 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.36 min
- 03Community Leadership and PlaceThis 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.36 min
Go deeper, and pay only the difference
- You are hereBitesize, 1 hour 45 minutes, £39
- Next stepFocus, From ward to cabinet, 3 hours, £69. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £30.
- The whole topicExplore, Elected to serve, 5 hours 30 minutes, £129. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £90.
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Prices per person. Read the full terms