Leadership within the Community [ WARD COUNCILLOR ]
• To undertake case work for constituents and act as an advocate in resolving
concerns or grievances.
• To communicate with local people and answer inquiries.
– about decisions that affect them.
– about opportunities in the community.
– regarding the rights of constituents within Colchester.
– as to why decisions are made.
• To lead and champion the interests of the local community and effectively represent
the interests of the Ward and its constituents.
• To meet and liaise regularly with local interested parties and involve and consult
them on key Council decisions.
• To support and promote citizenship locally and encourage the community to participate in the governance of the area.
Representation:
• To inform the debate at Full Council meetings and contribute to the effectiveness of the Council meeting.
• To contribute to the formation and scrutiny of the Authority’s policies, budget,
strategies and service delivery.
• To contribute to the scrutiny of decision making and review of the policies and
services of the council.
• To represent the authority to the community and the community to the council.
• To develop and maintain a knowledge of the Council and develop working relationships with its officers.
• To participate in the activities of any political group of which the councillor is a
member.
• To represent the council on outside bodies and to participate effectively in the appointed role and, where appropriate, to represent those bodies within Colchester
and elsewhere.
Other:
• To fulfil the legal and local requirements placed on an elected member, in
accordance with the Council Code of Conduct for Councillors.
• To be responsible for personal development and undergo appropriate development and continuous improvement for any role undertaken.
SKILLS
Leadership:
• Ability to lead and champion the interests of the local community.
Chairing:
• Ability to chair meetings and facilitate discussions.
Organisational Skills:
• Manage casework.
• Basic administration skills.
Other skills:
• Ability to use information technology to communicate through Council systems e.g. e-mails, accessing agenda, minutes, reports, intranet, internet etc.
• Community engagement skills.
• Influencing and persuading.
• Managing conflict and mediation skills.
Team Working and Relationship Building:
• Ability to develop relationships with key officers and partner agencies.
• Ability to build effective relationships with all sections of the community so as to be
able to represent their needs to the Council.
Communication:
• Ability to deal with the media whilst being able to identify when additional support
from the Communications Team is required to ensure the Council is positively
represented.
• Ability to communicate with a range of audiences.
• Active listening and questioning skills.
• Presentation skills.
• Public speaking.
Knowledge:
• Understanding of how the Council works.
• Knowledge of the Council structure, key contact officers, and services procedures.
• Knowledge of the political decision-making structures.
• Understanding of the Code of Conduct for Councillors, ethics and standards, and the
role of the Standards Committee.
• Understanding of national policies and their impact on the Council.
• Knowledge of the strategic objectives and key policies of the Council.
• Understanding of legislation and Council policies to which Members must adhere
(e.g., Freedom of Information, Data Protection, Equality and Diversity).
• Basic understanding of local government finances and audit processes.
• Knowledge of the Councils’ complaints procedure.
• For members who sit on quasi-judicial panels, knowledge of legislation and policy
relating to planning, licensing, and appeals is required, and an understanding of the
principles and importance of making rational decisions.
ISE OLUWA 2025…. Ko lé baje….
God is our strength!
Very good 👍