The Standards Committee of Blackburn with Darwen Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday 24 September 2025. The committee is expected to discuss social media guidance for elected members, receive an update on member training, and review complaints received by the Monitoring Officer.

Social Media Guidance

The committee is scheduled to consider a report on social media guidance for councillors. The report notes that many councillors are already engaging with the public through social media, and that the committee has a role in ensuring that councillors conduct themselves appropriately online. The Standards Social Media Guidance Report includes a draft of the Social Media Guidance for Councillors, which is designed to give guidance on the safe use of social media.

The guidance notes that social media is a useful tool for councillors, but that there are also pitfalls. It states that it is important to have safeguards in place to ensure that the benefits of social media are exploited, without breaching the law or the council's code of conduct. The guidance is intended to raise awareness of the responsibilities of councillors in relation to social media and to give guidance on the safe use of social media. It should be read in conjunction with the Member Code of Conduct.

The guidance covers a range of topics, including:

• The Members Code of Conduct
• Thinking before publishing
• Choosing appropriate privacy settings
• Making your commenting policy clear
• Principles for using social media
• Responsibilities of Members
• Malware and online crime prevention
• Use of social media and smart devices during meetings and events
• Compliance

The guidance also includes a section on the responsibilities of members, which covers topics such as libel/defamation, copyright, harassment, incitement, discrimination and 'protected characteristics' under the Equality Act 2010, malicious and obscene communications, data protection legislation, confidential information, bias and pre-determination, and electoral periods.

The Standards Social Media Guidance Report notes that inappropriate use of social media could potentially result in breaches of various areas of law including defamation, copyright infringement, harassment, data protection, discrimination and malicious and obscene communications.

The Standards Social Media Guidance Report also references guidance from the Local Government Association (LGA) for councillors on the use of social media.

Member Training Update

The committee is scheduled to receive an update on the Members Training programme.

The Standards Committee plays a key role in directing the provision of member development to ensure that elected members receive training, which meets their needs as decision makers and ward councillors. The committee therefore reviews and updates the training, and development needs each year and considers the training programme. The programme includes items that the Committee consider mandatory and areas that it also feels necessary for members to be aware of in carrying out their duties generally as a Councillor and in their specific roles.

The council offers online MeLearning e-learning facility as part of a blended approach to learning, which the committee had previously endorsed. The MeLearning portal has a selection of courses available to all Members. On-line training (via MeLearning and MS Team presentations) provides a vital training method for ensuring members are kept up to date with key areas of their role.

The following training courses are mandatory for Elected Members:

• Member Induction
• Effective Overview & Scrutiny for Chairs and Vice-Chairs
• Information Governance DOJO Cyber Security
• Adult's Safeguarding
• Children's Safeguarding
• Corporate Parenting

The committee previously noted the inclusion of Operation Form Training to the training programme 2025/26. Operation Form is a police initiative in the UK focused on the safety and security of elected officials, including councillors and candidates, particularly during election periods¹. It involves providing support, advice, and enhanced security measures to protect them from intimidation and harassment related to their public role.

Complaints Update

The committee is scheduled to receive an update on the complaints received by the Monitoring Officer, Asad Laher.