Council leaders to get online training

The Cabinet Office has signed a deal with the local government Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) to offer online training to local authority leaders.

The Cabinet Office wants leadership across the public sector to improve, because it believes this is essential to the government's commitment to delivering better public services.

The new online 'Prime' system allows chief executives and senior managers to receive training on their desktops.

"The resource has been used by the civil service over the past six months, and has now been adapted for use in local government," said an IDeA spokeswoman.

It offers training in key areas such as leadership theory and strategic thinking.

Local authorities will be charged £1,000 per user licence, with discounts available to groups.

The learning techniques include tutorials, case studies, scenario-based simulations, off-line exercises and links to qualified sources of information.

Cabinet Office minister Lord Macdonald welcomed the initiative.

"Prime local government is an excellent example of how a public/private partnership can prosper and promote real change through the innovative use of e-technology," he said in a statement.