Comments on: Time to shake up local government http://www.sguy.net/2007/03/27/time-to-shake-up-local-government/ the weblog of Steve Guy Fri, 14 May 2010 15:42:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Cllr David Walker http://www.sguy.net/2007/03/27/time-to-shake-up-local-government/comment-page-1/#comment-32238 Cllr David Walker Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:33:47 +0000 http://www.sguy.net/2007/03/27/time-to-shake-up-local-government/#comment-32238 Alas, uncontested seats are a product of geography. In this years elections we have a higher number of these seats than usual - a combination of a lack of support on the ground, a real shortage of quality candidates and a lack of willingness for people to put themselves out. Although, we have seen a LibDem and an aligned independant walk-in this year, which is a bonus. Many people are content to complain from the sidelines without actually trying to do anything to sort it out. This year we have even seen a reluctance of some people to stand as paper candidates possibly owing to the unitary being a possibility here. On this issue of full-time councillors & allowances I think this needs addressing but only in terms of the following: 1) Fixed terms for councillors - set a max of 12 years (three elections) in one continuous sitting. I have been a Town & a Dsitrict councillor for the past 8 years. Many of ours have been on the council for nearly 40 years and are now actually part of the problem. They are slow to bring in any reforms, content to preserve things how they were in 1976 and treat the council like a quaint parish council. 2) Allowances set should be set indepentantly & not by members - I am a working member, so I use the allowance to offset the loss of holidays & wages I loose by attending council meetings & functions. Allowances going up to attract a wide cross section of society to stand doe help but on it's own is not the answer. 4)Scrap current arcane working practices of committees which favour retired people more than younger people, working people or people with families. 3)Reform politics at the top because spin is killing politics for everybody. Dave. Alas, uncontested seats are a product of geography. In this years elections we have a higher number of these seats than usual – a combination of a lack of support on the ground, a real shortage of quality candidates and a lack of willingness for people to put themselves out. Although, we have seen a LibDem and an aligned independant walk-in this year, which is a bonus.

Many people are content to complain from the sidelines without actually trying to do anything to sort it out. This year we have even seen a reluctance of some people to stand as paper candidates possibly owing to the unitary being a possibility here.

On this issue of full-time councillors & allowances I think this needs addressing but only in terms of the following:

1) Fixed terms for councillors – set a max of 12 years (three elections) in one continuous sitting. I have been a Town & a Dsitrict councillor for the past 8 years. Many of ours have been on the council for nearly 40 years and are now actually part of the problem. They are slow to bring in any reforms, content to preserve things how they were in 1976 and treat the council like a quaint parish council.

2) Allowances set should be set indepentantly & not by members – I am a working member, so I use the allowance to offset the loss of holidays & wages I loose by attending council meetings & functions. Allowances going up to attract a wide cross section of society to stand doe help but on it’s own is not the answer.

4)Scrap current arcane working practices of committees which favour retired people more than younger people, working people or people with families.

3)Reform politics at the top because spin is killing politics for everybody.

Dave.

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