Elections mean that control of councils inevitably changes hands from time to time – the 2006 local elections bore strong testimony to this. Losing a by-election can mean that a council becomes a hung authority overnight. Politicians with little experience of power can suddenly find themselves leading the council. Councillors and political groups are offered no help to manage this political transition.

This programme is the first to address this crucial period. The Leadership Centre offers the services of a top politician as a mentor to political groups in authorities where change is likely and where groups would most benefit from external support – before, and if successful, after the election to help them prepare for change and be ready for power from day one.

Each local participating group is entitled to up to five days of external support. Two of these days take place prior to the elections.

Before the election, the mentor spends half a day talking to leading members of the local group and assessing where they are in terms of being prepared for change. The mentor is selected following discussion with the relevant LGA group and the local political group.

The mentor provides a whole day or two half-day workshops to help the group think about what a change of control would mean and work through a checklist of issues to consider with them. These sessions help groups to refine their priorities and think about issues such as what their policies would mean for the council’s budget and the way the council currently operates.

The final half-day of the two days involves supporting the local group to produce a plan of action for the first few weeks after the election – in the event that political change occurs.

The remaining three days are immediately available to groups successful in the election to assist them in implementing their action plan. If the local political group still feels it requires additional external support on the completion of this programme, it can approach the Leadership Centre, via the authority, for further support.