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Earlier this year, the Councillors' Commission called for more people to stand as councillors. Peter Ollis believes it got it wrong. The Government published its response to the Councillors' Commission in July. There are many interesting points in the paper, and I would recommend everyone in the sector to read it – but I would urge you to read it with a critical eye. Let me illustrate what I mean by looking at the very first paragraph of the document, which tackles the core matter of people becoming local councillors. It states: ‘We need effective and representative councillors at the heart of our councils. So, we want more people to stand as councillors. And we want a more diverse range of people to come forward.' This is an interesting mix of logical, non-sequitur and motherhood and apple pie. Let's look at the first sentence... We do need our councillors to be effective, but we must be careful with ‘representative' – membership of a particular stratum of society does not immediately confer on an individual the ability to represent, reflect or even understand the issues from that cohort. The very best councillors are those who truly represent their community, irrespective of their position within it, and we should encourage cultivation of this most impressive of attributes. Nevertheless, visible diversity carries a powerful message, and should be encouraged. Back to the quote above. The first sentence is fine, but then it starts going downhill. We do not want more people to stand as councillors. There were ample enough people standing in the last local elections – a typical ward in England could have had candidates from the major parties, plus an environmental campaigner, representatives from the far right or left – sometimes both – together with a special interest contender in fancy dress to add colour to the returning officer's entourage on the results dais. Although choice is a good thing, this is the means and not the end. What the public and the council officers want is a councillor with the perspicacity, intellect, communications skill, enthusiasm, pragmatism and commitment to achieve the best for the community. More, weaker candidates will not produce this outcome. Quality is much more important than quantity. As for the final sentence, I reiterate that the first attribute we need from our councillors is the ability to represent the community well and the subsequent aim is to secure appropriate diversity. That said, the mix of councillors quoted in the paper reveals: * only 1,400 (8%) of the almost 20,000 councillors are aged under 40 * only 330 (2%) are aged under 30 * only 29% are women * only 4% councillors are from black and minority ethnic communities, when almost 10% of the adult population is from a black and minority ethnic background. This illustrates perfectly the flaw of local councils. They mostly consist of older, white men. There would be greater confidence that authorities truly represent the whole community if there was a better match to the community at large. Although there are many independent members across the country, most councillors are elected on the platform of a political party. The onus for securing diversity, therefore, lies with the political parties to attract a breadth of candidates, and then to offer them as candidates in seats they stand a chance of winning. I do not underestimate the challenge which this entails – the parties are in a Catch 22 situation, where it is difficult to attract the young, women or those from minority ethnicities because the club is seen as being constituted by others, for others. But some are succeeding – and where they are, it is because they are attacking the problem actively, not sitting back and waiting for these people to knock on their doors. I am a great believer in local democracy. I understand the Government's concern at the public's disengagement, and I fully support the focus on councillors as the bedrock of local democracy. However, its analysis, as exemplified in the quote at the start of this piece, is flawed, both in content and target. Let me rewrite that paragraph. ‘We need effective, high-quality councillors at the heart of our councils. We also want to attract a broader mix of people to be local councillors. The political parties should actively seek this diversity, giving candidature to a balance of people in seats which can be won.' This is a national problem, which the political parties can solve at a local level – but it will require effort, determination and courage to dismantle the status quo. Peter Ollins is chief executive of Stevenage BC

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WHITEHALL

Less is more

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