The LGA’s political leadership programme helps ensure our local politicians are confident and capable
For 15 years, the LGA has been helping young councillors find their feet and connect with each other.
Our popular Young Councillors’ Weekender event is designed to provide learning and development around some of the key issues and challenges for all young councillors, and a unique opportunity to meet and network with colleagues from across the political spectrum.
This year’s programme includes plenary sessions led by leadership experts and leading member peers, covering personal development and issues such as navigating the dynamics of political groups, managing your mental health, finances, and decision-making.
Since the annual event started in 2009, more than 500 councillors have taken part, with the Young Councillors’ Weekender recognised as providing a kick-start in the development of any politician’s leadership skills.
Proof of that lies in the fact that previous participants now include one national party leader, six MPs, 26 current and past council leaders or directly elected mayors, 16 current and past deputy leaders, and 85 cabinet members or group leaders.
Grace Collins MBE, the LGA’s Adviser (Leadership), who has been involved with the young councillors’ events from the start, said: “I am extremely proud of all the young councillors from all parties, their journeys, the ongoing networks they have formed, and the comradeships that they have established over the years.
“So many have had fantastic political leadership journeys: here are four who have kindly written their stories.”
‘Excellent training opportunities’
Councillor Andrew Saywell (Conservative) is Cabinet Member for Organisational Development, Workforce and Digital Transformation at Devon County Council
I was one of the first councillors to attend the Young Councillors’ Weekender all the way back in 2010, and 12 years on I think I can still just about count myself as a young councillor! I was only 20 when I was first elected and back then the support networks for younger councillors were few and far between.
But the Young Councillors’ Weekender and LGA’s Leadership Academy courses were invaluable, not only for building up a mutual support network but also for providing young councillors like myself with excellent training opportunities that were tailored to our needs and gave many of us the confidence and the skills to take on leadership responsibilities in our councils.
I would encourage any young councillor to attend the weekender event and Leadership Academy courses and to make the most of the invaluable opportunities they will provide you.
‘The tools to succeed’
Councillor Anthony Okereke (Labour) is Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
You’ve finished campaigning, you’re now elected, and you know the key issues you want to prioritise. But knowing where to start as a councillor and how to turn these issues into actions in a local authority can sometimes feel like a maze.
The LGA’s Young Councillors’ Weekender is the one course that will place you on a firm footing in your new role.
As a new councillor myself in 2018, taking the course taught me how to make impactful presentations, work alongside political stakeholders and demystify local government finance in an easy way.
It also helped impart great skills, such as time management, and gave me the tools to succeed in the role while holding down a full-time job.
These are skills that have stayed with me and that I have developed and built on as Cabinet Member for Housing and now as the Leader of Greenwich Council.
In this journey, finding friends who will hold you accountable and help you develop your ideas is key. This was exactly what I found at the Young Councillors’ Weekender in 2018.
The training not only presents incredible skills for navigating local government but proved beneficial for other spheres of life also. All the best!
‘Lasting friendships’
Councillor Laura McCarthy is Liberal Democrat Group Leader at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
I attended the LGA’s young councillors’ course shortly after being elected in 2018. Coming from a background in community activism rather than politics, it was safe to say that I was less than confident about my abilities as a councillor. The course gave me the skills to scrutinise, speak in public, and find political allies throughout the chamber.
I made lasting friendships and the skills I learned have stayed with me as I progressed to Deputy Group Leader and then onto Group Leader at Solihull.
Representing my residents is the most important part of my job and this course gave me the tools I needed to do that successfully.
‘Set me up for the future’
Cllr Carla Denyer is Co-Leader of the Green Party and a councillor at Bristol City Council
I took part in the Young Councillors’ Weekender at a critical point in my political career, though I didn’t know it at the time.
Ten days before the weekend started, my now-famous motion to Bristol City Council passed unanimously: Bristol declared a climate emergency and brought forward its carbon neutral date by 20 years, from 2050 to 2030.
It was the first council in Europe to do so, and since then three-quarters of UK local authorities and many other institutions have followed suit.
Six months later, I was to stand as an MEP, and then as an MP candidate. Within three years, I would be the national leader of my party.
But as I caught the train to Warwick that weekend, none of that was on my horizon. My priority then, as now, was to do the best job I could as an elected representative to tackle the biggest problems facing society – climate change and social injustice.
The sessions at the Young Councillors’ Weekender – on local government finance, public speaking, personal effectiveness and navigating group dynamics – helped me prioritise my time and set me up for a future I didn’t yet know was mine.
So, if you are a young councillor, no matter what you think the future holds for you, this course could help you achieve it.