New ‘webinars’ offer vital training during crisis

The series of online training presentations, or ‘webinars’, will help the continuation of community business and have been set up thanks to money allocated through Harborough District Council’s community grant fund.

The training sessions will be shared with councillors via the internet.

The webinar series will cover topics such as managing risk in Council projects, effective and legal decision making, and data protection. These sessions will complement training already provided for parishes by the Leicestershire & Rutland Association of Local Councils.

Cllr Michael Rickman, Harborough District Council portfolio holder for Communities said: “This is an extremely useful resource and I am sure will be welcomed by parishes across the district, especially now that parish councillors and meetings are all working remotely, and possibly will be for some time. Nearly £2,850 was allocated to the Leicestershire and Rutland Association of Local Councils (LRALC) last year from the Community Grant fund to design and deliver the series of bite-sized webinars and is a perfect example of how the fund can benefit the wider community. It is important that parishes continue to support the county and national response to the virus, listening to residents and businesses, as we look towards the recovery stage.”

Jake Atkinson, chief executive of LRALC, said: “We are very proud to have worked with the Council on this innovative project. It’s a genuine example of partnership working between our two bodies to support parish and town councils and their communities. We believe this is the first project of its kind between a district council and its parishes and the ability to learn and develop remotely has taken on even greater significance during the current crisis. We look forward to continuing to work with the District Council going forward.”