Karen Day
- Published: 25 June 2008 16:47
- Author: Karen Day
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- Last Updated: 26 June 2008 09:39
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There's no place for fear in local politics, says LGC editor Karen Day.
There would be no democracy in this country without local democracy and it's hard not to admire our army of councillors. These are people so driven to express their social and political values that they dedicate their time and talent to serve the most vulnerable in society.
The quality and skills of these political volunteers has never been more crucial as the pressures to revitalise traditional grassroots democracy while doing more with less are ramped up.
So, on the eve of the most important gathering of councillors — the Local Government Association Conference — LGC decided to investigate the state of town hall politics.
We polled over 400 councillors in every region in England and Wales, asking questions on colleague relationships, levels of support, training and political membership.
Our results paint an alarming picture and suggest that the traditional brouhaha of town hall politics is giving way to a climate of fear.
The fact that a third of councillors have experienced some form of bullying is stark. Being ignored or intimidated by councillors and officers is the favoured form of treatment, followed by being abused.
Of the 116 women polled, nearly half said they'd been bullied, with almost one in 10 saying they'd been sexually discriminated against or abused. More than half of those aged 18-34 said they'd faced some form of intimidation.
Looking at our poll, if you're female, aged under 30 and represent a seat in London there's a high probability that you'll be abused or intimidated — hardly an advert for local democracy.
Small wonder then that just three out of 10 councillors are women and the average age has increased to 58.
How much more evidence do political parties need before they intervene? There is a culture in our councils that tolerates bullying and it has no part to play in our political system. Local government will remain fixed in the 20th Century until we collectively expose this culture and root it out.
