Politically savvy
Working in a Political Environment.
A half day on working in a political environment: councillors and their roles, reading the political system, member-officer relationships, decision machinery and ethical communication.
- Level
- Explore
- Learning time
- 6 hours 30 minutes
- Where
- Working in a Political Environment
- Price
- £129
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, or Certificate of Completion and Assessment with a short assessment
Overview and Outcomes.
Who It's For
Officers in local government working with elected members
Overview
Politically savvy is a half day exploration of working in a political environment for officers in local government. It begins with councillors: their roles, informal hats and lifecycle, and the Nolan Principles. It then reads the political system through Mendelow's matrix, political groups and Baddeley and James's model, and widens to the tiers of government across England and Wales, combined authorities and reorganisation. The second half turns to political leadership, member-officer relationships through Berne's transactional analysis, the machinery of delegation and decision making, and ethical political communication, before a capstone on the Isle of Wight and Birmingham.
Aims
The aim is to develop politically aware officers who understand the people, systems and structures of local democracy, build effective working relationships with members and communicate with integrity, applying their acumen in time to support good decisions rather than recognising problems in hindsight.
In summary, you will be able to:
- Explain councillors' roles and ethical framework and the responsibilities of each tier of government across England and Wales.
- Use Mendelow's matrix, Baddeley and James's model and transactional analysis to read political dynamics and strengthen member-officer relationships.
- Apply knowledge of delegation, the decision cycle and ethical communication to give timely, politically astute advice on a live issue.
What you'll develop
Across this Explore, you will develop the ability to:
- Describe the four dimensions of a councillor's role, representative, decision maker, community leader and case worker, and explain why they pull in different directions.
- Describe the tiers of government in England and in Wales and explain how the Senedd changes the shape of the Welsh system.
- Describe the types of local authority in England and explain what a combined authority and its mayor can and cannot do.
- Distinguish political from managerial leadership and explain where the two legitimately overlap.
- Explain how your council's governance model shapes how and when you engage members on a decision.
- Select and combine the right tools from the programme to read a live political situation.
Built from 5 parts.
6 hours 30 minutes of learning.
- 01The many hats of a councillorCouncillor roles and the local political systemBitesize2 modules
- 02The bigger political pictureNational politics and local government reformBitesize2 modules
- 03Two roles, one purposeMember-officer relations and leadershipBitesize2 modules
- 04Earning councillors' trustWorking with elected membersBitesize1 module
- 05Reading the room politicallyPolitical communications and political acumenBitesize2 modules
You have reached the top of this topic
- You are hereExplore, 6 hours 30 minutes, £129
It is also part of these programmes:
- Serving your community wellFlagship27 hours£549
- Holding steady, moving forwardFlagship27 hours 30 minutes£549
- Your first days in officeImmerse10 hours 30 minutes£249
- Working with politiciansImmerse8 hours£249
- Holding to accountImmerse10 hours 30 minutes£249
- Leading from the front benchImmerse10 hours£249
Other topics in Serving the public
- Foundations of Local GovernmentHow councils work4 hours£69
- Leading through Reorganisation, Mergers and Shared ServicesRebuilding together5 hours 30 minutes£129
- Complaints, Ombudsmen and Learning from FailureWhen things go wrong5 hours 30 minutes£129
- Being a CouncillorElected to serve5 hours 30 minutes£129
- Effective ScrutinyCritical friends3 hours 30 minutes£69
- Safeguarding for LeadersKeeping people safe5 hours 30 minutes£129
