Lichfield District Council has been asked to put on speed reading classes for councillors.
A report to the local authority’s employment committee shows that four members of the council have requested training sessions to help reduce the time it takes them to get through more documentation.
The overview shows a number of areas where councillors have asked for additional training and development.
“Members have many documents to read,” the report said. “A workshop would teach new strategies and techniques to enable them to read and assimilate information faster.”
The council has said external support would be needed to provide the speed reading classes – a service which would need to come from the £5,000 set aside for training elected members.
Other areas of development requested by councillors include:
- Overview and Scrutiny skills (12 interested councillors)
- IT skills (nine interested councillors)
- Understanding the financial landscape (seven interested councillors)
- Chairing meetings (seven interested councillors)
- Responding to emergencies (five interested councillors)
- Data protection and Freedom of Information (four interested councillors)
The report also reveals that three councillors have requested public speaking training, with two looking for support to become an “effective ward member” and one seeking a session on time management.
The requests will be discussed at a meeting of the employment committee on Thursday (February 13).
