The Lambeth Council Standards Committee met to discuss the Member Learning Development Programme and Member Induction Programme. Councillors agreed to note the progress of the Member Learning Development programme, and to continue the cross-party Member Learning and Development Working Group to facilitate the development and delivery of the Member Induction programme following the 2026 local elections.

Member Learning Development Programme and Member Induction 2026

The committee reviewed the Member Learning Development Programme, which aims to give councillors a good understanding of how to perform their role as an elected representative.

Decision: The committee agreed to note the progress of the Member Learning Development programme, and to provide suggestions for areas of focus for the future programme.

The training programme is split into external and internal sessions, and is created using the principles of prioritisation, being digital by default, integration with the wider member development programme, and high quality content.

Training sessions are grouped into three categories:

• Compulsory training - which councillors must complete to undertake their duties.
• Recommended training - which councillors should attend to benefit their development and facilitate them in their roles.
• Ongoing training - which councillors should undertake throughout their term to ensure they are up to date with all issues.

According to the Public Reports Pack, since July 2025:

• 14 councillors have attended Children's Safeguarding training
• 9 have attended Emergency Planning training
• 17 have attended Adult Safeguarding training

The Disability Awareness training and Scrutiny Finance training sessions were scheduled to take place after the report was published.

The committee noted that there had been some challenges in ensuring member attendance at training sessions, and sought member input on how to improve attendance at compulsory training events.

The committee discussed the Member Induction Programme 2026, and considered the draft programme set out in Appendix 2 - Member Induction. Pre-election briefings will be arranged with agents and candidates in February and March 2026.

Feedback from members highlighted a request for an increase in the availability of pre-recorded training sessions accessible via the portal, and that training should last no longer than 30 minutes. Members also suggested that the council should create buddy programmes for newly elected members to help with their transition into office.

Councillor Jackie Meldrum suggested that training sessions should be led by councillors, to give a different perspective. She said:

But if they were led by councillors, I think we get a slightly different tone. They don't seem to be quite oriented enough at our perspective. What officers think, councillors need to know, A, B and C. When you're actually a councillor, the angry things you're looking at are on a more broad spectrum. They're not quite so clear cut.

Councillor Tom Swaine-Jameson suggested that e-learning is ideal for people who struggle to make the evenings, and that it would be helpful if the sessions were planned further in advance and have reminders, or they need to be available online.

Decision: The committee agreed to consider and comment on the induction arrangements set out in the report, including Appendix 2 - Member Induction and Appendix 3 - Member Induction 2026 Training.

Decision: The committee agreed to recommend that the cross-party Member Learning and Development Working Group continue to facilitate the development and delivery of the Member Induction programme following the 2026 local elections and ongoing Member Learning and Development Programme.

The Member Learning and Development Group consists of Councillor Scarlett O'Hara, Councillor James Bryan, Councillor Ben Curtis, Councillor Jackie Meldrum and Councillor Tom Swaine-Jameson.

The committee proposed that future meetings are scheduled on the following dates:

• Wednesday 3 December
• Tuesday 27 January
• Thursday 5 March
• Thursday 16 April

Member Enquiries Training

Councillor Jackie Meldrum and Councillor Ben Curtis are involved in supporting the development of Member Enquiry (ME) training to ensure it is relevant for councillors, covers the most common topics and directs councillors to alternative means to raise concerns with specific services.

Councillor Jackie Meldrum told the committee that Lambeth Council has too many member inquiries, and that people are asking questions when the answers are somewhere else. She said that member inquiries are an important tool for backbenchers getting information, and that they need to know this sooner rather than later.

Councillor Meldrum suggested picking the most common member inquiries, such as those about temporary accommodation, disrepairs, and parking tickets, and coming up with a good way to explain a little bit about the service. She also suggested having a template for submitting an ME, and a template for how to answer it without needing to raise an ME at all.

Councillor Tom Swaine-Jameson said that sometimes when he has pursued inquiries through other means, he has been advised to log an ME so that there is an official log. Councillor Meldrum said that the council needs to give a clear message that inquiries need to go via the ME system.

Councillor Meldrum also suggested that the council needs to get the ME system understanding what urgent means, and how they are going to process that.

Councillor Meldrum suggested that part of the induction definitely needs to include a tour of Lambeth Town Hall, so that councillors know where the rooms are.

Councillor Meldrum said that the ME assurance board is working on this with Sarah Hagley.

Soft Skills Training

Councillor Jackie Meldrum raised the issue of soft skills training, and referred to a booklet she had found going back a long time ago. The booklet covered the soft skills that councillors need in order to do the different aspects of their job, such as managing their time, personal effectiveness, getting things done, working with officers, talking to the media and social media.

Councillor Meldrum said that the section on working with officers is very useful, because a lot of people become a councillor saying that the last lot didn't kick them hard enough, and that they just need somebody to come in and kick officers into doing things. She said that it is really important to be nice to officers if you want things done.

The committee noted that social media training will be covered, and that there are some softer skills training sessions planned for a few months later down the line, once all the compulsory training sessions have been covered off.

Victoria Lauer, Democratic Services, said that there is a members SharePoint site, which has links to all the different bits of information that councillors might find useful, and that she has been working with IT to find a way to make that accessible for councillors when they don't use their Lambeth account to log in.