Richmond-upon-Thames rewarded for excellence

Richmond-upon-Thames has received a special London Councils award to mark its good work in helping their councillors do a better job.

The Member Development Charter is awarded to councils in recognition of their work to provide councillors with the support, skills and training they need to develop and to manage their local authority's budgets and services. It is backed by the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA).

Chairman of London Councils, Councillor Merrick Cockell, presented a Charter to the leader of Richmond, Councillor Serge Lourie, at a meeting of London's borough leaders yesterday.

The initiatives introduced by Richmond council include:
•giving new councillors experience as assistant cabinet members to prepare them for senior roles
•taking councillors on site visits to see buildings constructed after granting planning permission
•scrutiny committee members visiting other boroughs to learn different approaches to dealing with a range of issues

Councillor Cockell said: "Being a councillor is a huge responsibility. You have to make objective decisions on services affecting the lives of thousands of people, manage a multi-million pound budget effectively and efficiently, and engage and work closely with local communities and other stakeholders.

"Richmond council has worked very hard to introduce ways of providing support to its members and helping them to develop their skills and knowledge. This not only benefits the councillors themselves, but also ensures that their residents receive the best possible leadership and services from their local council."