Aberdeen councillors are being given specialist training to stop them “sounding slippery” when responding to questions from journalists, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI) response.
Media training is one of the 14 available courses that can be taken by elected members as part of the “development framework” put forward this year.
Nine councillors are understood to have taken the course, which is being conducted by the communications team at the authority.
The course is listed as “highly recommended” for committee conveners, vice conveners and group leaders.
A description of the course under the FOI reads: “In a sentence: you will learn how to say what you want to say in response to journalists’ questions without sounding slippery.”
However, a council spokesman said yesterday that the description sent out in the FOI was out of date and had not been given to members.
He added that the real course description said the course would “provide practical interview exercises for each participant in proactive and reactive scenarios”.
Many organisations provide media training for staff who speak to reporters and the workshop is not obligatory. It is available to councillors of all parties.
But Liberal Democrat Martin Greig said: “The council needs to become more transparent and open instead of promoting a culture of blame and cover up.
“Residents feel they are being listened to less and less and are fed up of the spin. Many people are noticing the decline in the quality of local services.
“Our duty is to constituents first. There is a surprising lack of training for this.”
Independent administration councillor Jennifer Stewart said the training was “long standing” and that she had taken it previously.
She said: “I think this is making a mountain out of a molehill.
“Councillors need to be given the training so as to get their message across clearly and tell the people what their council is doing.”
A council spokesman said: “A wide range of training is offered to elected members as part of a comprehensive development programme designed to ensure councillors are equipped with the skills and knowledge to carry out their duties, in keeping with local authorities throughout Scotland.
“The sessions are delivered in-house, at no cost to the council and are not mandatory.”
