A national inquiry has been launched to explore the opportunities and challenges for rural councillors, in a bid to strengthen their role. Recent research by the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) found 88% of councillors felt they were ‘effective or very effective' in their role, but almost half of rural people did not believe councillors could influence decisions, and only one-quarter of rural people would ‘channel their views' through their local councillor. The national inquiry aims to discover what stands in the way of councillors doing more to help rural people have greater influence over local decisions. ‘We want to hear people's views, experiences and ideas and what the role of councillors should be,' said Stuart Burgess, chair of the CRC and Rural Advocate. The commission is seeking information in six areas. For more details visit www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk
