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Latest News

Government must embark on a national campaign to aid councillor recruitment

25/06/07 The government should support a specific, high profile, national campaign to boost the recruitment of councillors, according to a parliamentary report launched today.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group inquiry into the role of a councillor found that one of the barriers to recruiting more people to become councillors was a lack of awareness about their role and the way local government operates. It recommends government provides public funding and support for the recruitment of councillors.
It says: “At a local level, councils could do much more to communicate what they do, and promote the importance of the democratic role of councillors.
“There is a need for national action on this, by the government, by the media and by political parties nationally. We believe that improving understanding of local government and the role of councillors is fundamental to the health of local democracy, and to attracting more people to stand for election as councillors.”
The inquiry was advised by the Local Government Information Unit and was chaired by Alison Seabeck MP, with parliamentarian panellists including Lord Best, Clive Betts MP, Andrew Gwynne MP, Lord Hanningfield, Chris Mole MP, Paul Rowan MP and Baroness Scott.
Alison Seabeck MP said: “Local government has for too long hidden its light under a bushel.  The APPG inquiry has highlighted just how important, exciting and challenging the role of a local councillor can be.  It is clear from the evidence that existing and future councillors need better support and training but that there is also lot of good practice out there which should be developed.  There are challenges for the media and central government too.”
The APPG report also recommends councils provide councillors with funding for specific training and development courses to help improve the way they engage with the public and the media, and to enhance their understanding of their council’s work.
Another recommendation calls for the creation of national standards of remuneration for councillors, taking account of different roles and tiers of local government, to make the role more appealing to a wider array of people and to create a sense of professionalism in the role.
LGIU chief executive Tim Thorogood said: “If we look closely at the work being done by councillors across the country, we can see that there are councillors who are doing a brilliant job and are performing to the highest standard, while others are failing to be effective in their roles because they don’t receive the right communication or information from their council or because they are not trained in how to use new media to their advantage.
“There is a huge gulf between the performance of councillors, which would suggest that there are ways of putting existing powers to better use.”
The report is being launched at a parliamentary reception hosted by the LGIU on 25 June. Speakers at the launch include local government and community cohesion minister Phil Woolas and chair of the Commission on Local Councillors Dame Jane Roberts.

 

 

This Month's Events

Public Service Transformation and Local Government: the member's role (THIS SEMINAR HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER - Date to be confirmed)

21/6/2007

Latest Analysis

Climate changed

11/06/07 World leaders battled over climate change and carbon reduction targets this month. There is now no doubt we need urgent, international action to reduce greenhouse gases. But, as LGIU Policy Analyst Gemma Roberts explains, there is a part of the equation that’s missing. The need for early action to deal with and make plans for the impact of inevitable climate change in the coming years: impacts such as flooding and heatwaves that will have dramatic effects on local areas and the provision of services. A recent LGIU seminar began to explore these challenges at a local level and offered local authorities the chance to develop ideas for adapting services to changing conditions.

Affordable and green: Brown's pledge on homes

16/05/07 It must be good news that Gordon Brown’s first major policy announcement was a commitment to build 100,000 new eco friendly homes. It puts both the environment and housing at the top of his agenda, and is a step towards making a reality of the 2016 zero carbon new homes target. The eco towns aren’t a new idea, but they look like they will now actually happen. It is essential that they show that new housebuilding need not damage the environment, and crucially they need to be genuinely affordable – that means a real mix of rented, low cost home ownership and owner occupied homes. More...

Find out more abou the LGIU's Learning Network

14/05/07 The Learning Network on the role of the frontline councillor in neighbourhoods brings together 29 councils from across England to participate in an active process of shared learning and policy development. The Network is run by the LGIU with funding and input from the Department for Communities and Local Government and the IDeA. Find out more about the Learning Network on the LGIU website.

Gender equality duty: are you ready?

16/04/07 A new general duty requiring public bodies to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on grounds of sex and to promote equality of opportunity between women and men came into force this month. Each authority must prepare and publish a gender equality scheme action plan, designed to support implementation of the general duty, by 30 April 2007. Here, we look at the guidance available to help authorities meet the requirements.

Latest Publications

Countering Myths and Misinformation during election periods (LGiU)

23/3/2007
Are you expecting a contentious local election campaign, accompanied by the circulation of myths and misinformation? This short publication, intended to inform chief executives and local authority leaders, outlines the issues and suggests some robust and proactive solutions. 

Please click on the title for full details

Leaders At Work: making the councillor life possible (LGiU)

15/3/2007
This pamphlet, produced jointly by the LGIU and Business in the Community (BITC), looks a one of the biggest barriers that prevents people from standing as councillors - how to balance the many time consuming demands of councillor life with an independent working life. It examines existing legislation governing the relationship between employers and employees, identifies a range of best practice and suggests a number of improvements that could be made to the current system.

LGIU network

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