Working in Partnership with Exeter City Council on ‘How to Become a Councillor’

Exeter City Council was a key partner and supported Take Part Exeter with the participation of Council Officers and elected Councillors in several Take Part programmes.

The ‘How to Become a Councillor’ workshop was held at the City Council and delivered jointly with the Members’ Services Officer and the Engagement Officer. The involvement of one City Councillor added particular value to the course as she shared her experience as a Councillor in an open and frank discussion with course participants. Not all who attended this course had plans to stand as a Councillor, but nevertheless felt it useful to understand the role better. As one participant commented: “Because I have a lot of dealings with City Councillors, I wanted to understand why they make decisions and what’s behind it – maybe with a view to becoming a Councillor.”

How raising awareness about democratic processes empowered people to vote

Take Part Exeter sought to increase civic participation by delivering learning and information on voting in local and general elections. In April 2010, Take Part Exeter ran a publicity campaign indicating where to
find information about local candidates and what they stood for.

In addition, Take Part Exeter worked with the Parliamentary Outreach programme to deliver awareness-raising sessions at Exeter CVS and to the ‘Speaking Up’ Sure Start group. The Sure Start group were later invited to London for a tour of the Houses of Parliament, an in-depth workshop on parliamentary processes, and a question and answer session with their local MP, Ben Bradshaw.

Prior to the course the learners were all non-voters: “Before [the course], there was no way I would vote, I just thought it was boring but not my vote makes a difference to me, to my children and to my community ... It’s not just about building your confidence and self-esteem, it’s making your voice heard, it’s understanding how to make decisions in your society and community, [and] getting involved.”

Total number of learners on parliament sessions: 30

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Stats and case studies exploring two years of project development and inter-agency working.

Download Take Part Exeter illustrated summary.

Download Take Part Exeter full report.

Download Take Part National evaluation report.

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Take Part Exeter was led by Exeter CVS as part of the Take Part Pathfinder Programme, which was funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and managed by the Community Development Foundation.

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Take Part Exeter worked with local statutory partners to promote civic roles (e.g. Magistrates, School Governors, Local Councillors and Charity Trustees), and to engage people in elections.

Take Part Exeter worked with local statutory partners to develop 3-hour taster sessions and accompanying ‘How To’ Guides exploring the roles, responsibilities and application processes for a range of citizen governor positions. Sessions included case study exercises, question and answer sessions with active citizens currently in the role, and presentations from relevant agency staff. The following courses were delivered:

  • Introduction to Becoming a School Governor (7 learners)
  • Finding Out what Magistrates Do (4 sessions, 64 learners)
  • Finding out what the Police Authority does (17 learners)
  • How to Become a Local Councillor (11 learners)
  • Finding out what Charity Trustees do (9 learners)

Total number of learners on civic role taster sessions: 108

The ‘Finding out what Magistrates do’ workshops were particularly successful, both in eliciting interest and in helping recruit Magistrates from diverse backgrounds. In 2009, 33 people attended the Take Part Magistrates workshop, from which nine applied and three were appointed. In 2010, out of the 30 participants, seven applied and have progressed to the interview stage. This is a high take-up rate for a role that
involves a stringent and demanding application process. It also reflects the impact of delivering informative and encouraging workshops, which resulted in applications from people who may not have applied otherwise.
How to Become a Local Councillor

councillors-flyerCourse no longer available A free, informal and engaging workshop is for anyone who is interested in standing for election as a City or County Councillor.  Download a flyer
 
Finding Out What Charity Trustees Do
trustees-flyerCourse no longer available This free, informal and engaging fact-finding session is for anyone who wants to know more about becoming a charity trustee.  Download a flyer
 
Finding Out What the Police Authority Does

police-authorityCourse no longer available A workshop exploring the work of the Police Authority and the different roles you could undertake to support them.  Download a flyer
 
Finding out what School Governors Do

how-to-become-a-school-governor-coverCourse no longer available This free, informal and engaging 3 hour session is for anyone who wants to know more about what is involved with becoming a School Governor and how to become one.

 
 
Finding out what Magistrates Do

magistrates-coverCourse no longer available An introduction to the role of magistrates and how you could become one.

Download a flyer