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The many hats of a councillor
Avanti Academy / Serving the public / Working in a Political Environment / Bitesize
Bitesize

The many hats of a councillor

Councillor roles and the local political system.

Level
Bitesize
Learning time
1 hour 30 minutes
Where
Working in a Political Environment
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

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Certificate of Completion

About this course

Overview and Outcomes.

Overview

Officers often work from a partial picture of what councillors actually do. This module sets out the four dimensions of the role, the formal positions from backbench to leader, the six informal hats and the lifecycle from election to legacy, drawing on the LGA's Be a Councillor campaign. It then introduces the Nolan Committee's Seven Principles of Public Life and the registers, rules, codes and standards processes that make them work day to day. No councillor acts alone. This module widens the lens to the system around them: four competing agendas, five stakeholder groups, Mendelow's power-interest matrix, what a political group does, a Johari window reading of what groups show and hide, and Drew Westen's research on why groups resist evidence. Baddeley and James's owl, fox, donkey or sheep model and a no overall control case study bring power, group and person together.

What you'll develop

In this Bitesize, you will develop the ability to:

  1. 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.
  2. Identify which hat a councillor is wearing and where they sit on the lifecycle, and adjust your briefing and support accordingly.
  3. Explain the Seven Principles of Public Life and identify the practical mechanisms, such as registers of interest and codes of conduct, that put them into effect.
  4. Use Mendelow's power-interest matrix to map the stakeholders around a decision and decide who to brief first, and how.
  5. Explain what a political group does, what it shows and hides, and why evidence presented as a challenge rarely changes its mind.
What it covers

The Modules.

1 hour 30 minutes of learning.

  1. 01Foundations: The Councillor's Lifecycle and the Many Hats They WearOfficers often work from a partial picture of what councillors actually do. This module sets out the four dimensions of the role, the formal positions from backbench to leader, the six informal hats and the lifecycle from election to legacy, drawing on the LGA's Be a Councillor campaign. It then introduces the Nolan Committee's Seven Principles of Public Life and the registers, rules, codes and standards processes that make them work day to day.42 min
  2. 02Reading the Political SystemNo councillor acts alone. This module widens the lens to the system around them: four competing agendas, five stakeholder groups, Mendelow's power-interest matrix, what a political group does, a Johari window reading of what groups show and hide, and Drew Westen's research on why groups resist evidence. Baddeley and James's owl, fox, donkey or sheep model and a no overall control case study bring power, group and person together.43 min
Where it fits

Keep going.

Part of the Working in a Political Environment topic, also sold whole as Politically savvy.

How credit works

Go deeper, and pay only the difference

  1. You are hereBitesize, 1 hour 30 minutes, £39
  2. Next stepFocus, The political landscape, 3 hours, £69. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £30.
  3. The whole topicExplore, Politically savvy, 6 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

Also part of: Serving your community well, Holding steady, moving forward, Your first days in office

Other Bitesize in the Working in a Political Environment topic

See all in Working in a Political Environment

Also Inside