I first stumbled upon local government and councillors, not through my undergraduate degree in government at the LSE, but through temping at Hammersmith and Fulham council when I couldn’t get my dream job – working for an MP – after I graduated.
Until that point, I had a view that all councillors were old, retired, white men. Growing up in Hampshire and on military bases didn’t expose me to much else. These councillors were largely hidden away in committee rooms talking from their own experience, with just a passing regard for the community who had elected them.
In 2002, I came to local government at an interesting time. Councils were moving to cabinet models, with some directly elected mayors. The sphere of influence for backbench councillors was diminishing, but it was recognised that there needed to be a way to ensure that they could still act as powerful advocates for their ward in the new system.
Over the next few years I worked for Kensington and Chelsea, Newham and Waltham Forest councils – and at every turn became more excited about the passion of local councillors and how, with the right support and enthusiasm, they could make small things happen – which made a real difference to local residents. But I also wanted councillors to be more representative, younger, from a wider variety of backgrounds -especially outside of London. But who in their right mind would give up a night in the pub with friends, for a four hour scrutiny committee?
In 2004 I went to help set up the Influential Councillor Programme in Newham, developing the role of backbench councillors. We focused on community leadership and helping bring together the Council with community groups. The key to a good councillor– as far as I could make out – was to know your limits. When we had an influx in 2005 of Respect councillors in Newham, they wanted help to change the world. With my tongue firmly in my cheek, I asked if they knew any roads in need of a good pedestrian crossing, and that I could help them with that if they wanted!
But the good backbench councillors knew their residents local priorities, focused on one or two great campaigns – and got them done. It wasn’t about sitting in meetings – it was making the connections between a group of people, a potential pot of money, and a helpful and enthusiastic local officer. It was bringing in different departments, to talk together about an issue neither wanted to own, and getting an action plan pulled together.
It is this model of community leadership and engagement which will make the role of being a backbench councillor more exciting and rewarding, and ultimately more appealing to a wider range of residents.
Of course now I’m an actual backbench councillor in Lambeth, and it’s not as simple as I once thought. Those great councillors who know who the right officers to ask to get things done, have these connections because they’ve been councillors for a long time. They are often full time so they get to actually meet officers during the day, building up relationships. Whilst there are exciting opportunities, by the time you’ve been to full council, planning committee, Labour group, done your casework – oh and of course your own full time job – the exciting projects just slip down the list of priorities.
In the next few months Lambeth is thinking about the role of backbenchers in a Cooperative council. I’m interested to see how we free up councillors from their town hall committee roles to give us the time to be involved in the engagement work we all say is important. Only time will tell if Lambeth can crack the challenge of reshaping the role of backbenchers. There are lots of exciting opportunities and I’m keen to get stuck in – as long as it takes place outside of working hours of course …
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Jane Edbrooke is a Labour councillor in Lambeth and tweets @janeinlondon
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Jane, I very much hope you draw from your knowledge of different settings to extend your article – maybe giving some practical examples. I don’t have your wide range of experience, having been a councillor for 14 years in one borough. (I’m now one of the “retired white men”. I’ve also been a Labour Party constituency and branch secretary.)
Maybe your own experience is more typical, but my observation is that opportunities for real involvement as a backbencher have steadily shrunk over the years as power is concentrated with the leader and cabinet.
I was intrigued by your comments about councillors: “making the connections between a group of people, [and] a potential pot of money”. And also: “councillors who know who the right officers to ask to get things done, [and] have these connections because they’ve been councillors for a long time”. While I accept that councillors “oiling the wheels” can be useful, I’d be concerned if that’s how an organisation normally functions. It leads to a “big man/woman” system; clientelism; and, occasionally, corruption. It certainly isn’t open, transparent and democratic. But then – in my own experience – neither is the cabinet system.
One change you don’t mention is that brutal central government cuts have led to the departure of long-serving officers. (Including some of “the right officers”) Those left behind are often less experienced and face an uncertain future. Sure “there are lots of exciting opportunities”, but also lots of fear and blame.
At the same time, the Government’s relentless disparaging of the public sector does nothing for people’s morale. Nor does the the rising tide of demand for local government services as cuts hit our poorest and most vulnerable residents.
The two female Labour councillors for my ward have “just a passing regard for the community who had elected them,” they pass emails on to their TORY comrades, so the TORIES can take up their arguments for them, when you disagree with them on the implementation of TORY policy that isn’t needed and then refuse to answer any others, while continuing to lie to the ward about the need for TORY policy to be introduced.
This is permitted because the CLP is nothing more than a closed shop (one of the failing councillors is the sister of the so-called Leader of the branch, who also deliberately refuses to reply when contact is made) and the party outside of the CLP both at region and nationally do nothing, presumably because it’s far easier to ignore than deal with ‘the old guard’.
Labour is running a national Plus One and I am extremely envious of those who are able to take part in it because not only can I not recommend anyone to join the party, I can’t even recommend that any resident votes for the party here.
While engagement may be good for some it’s only good when it is done not sold as a myth of something being done.