Calling all potential councillors…
Monday, November 27 2006
New course to help you prepare for elected Office
Have you ever wanted to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a Councillor? Do you want to learn more about how the Council works? Are you perhaps interested in standing as a Councillor in the May 2007 elections? Or do you want to develop a role within the community or voluntary sector? Then look no further.
From January 2007, Scottish Borders Council is running its highly regarded 'Preparing for Elected Office' course for anyone aspiring to take up elected office in local government.
David Hume, SBC's Chief Executive commends the course to anyone who may be thinking of taking a role in local government, "Being a Councillor offers challenging and fascinating experiences and provides a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the community and the future of the Borders. But with these opportunities comes responsibility and our course provides an excellent route for potential Councillors to develop a real insight into the responsibilities of modern local government".
Councillor Gordon Edgar (representing Old Selkirk and joint portfolio holder for Technical Services) attended the course four years ago and explains how he considers it to be an essential experience for anyone thinking about standing for office. "This course is quite simply a 'must-do' for prospective candidates for the May 2007 elections. It’s extremely informative and helpful and provides participants with a key overview on the role of local government and the responsibilities of being a Councillor. Many of us who attended the last course were victorious in the 2002 elections and we would all agree that the course made a valuable contribution to our appointment as elected members".
Marjorie Hutton, SBC’sCommunity Learning and Development Manager and course organiser explained, "Each session covers a different aspect of local government, with contributions from SBC’s senior officers and current elected members. By the end of the course, participants will have a good knowledge of local government, its processes and structures."
The course will run every Wednesday evening from 24 January-14 March 2007, 7.00 - 9.15pm. All sessions will take place at Scottish Borders Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells. The cost for the course is £25.00 but a fee waiver will be considered if candidates are 'unwaged'.
Unified Solutions.