Comments on: Opinion: Councillors Commission report – why it shouldn’t be ignored

By: Simon

Simon — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:44:06 +0000

STV (is that really the right system for multi-member wards?)

It wouldn’t be STV without multi member wards.

Does the councillor commission report recomend votes at 16 for all elections or just local elections?

By: Gareth Epps

Gareth Epps — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 21:18:28 +0000

3/10 for STV and votes at 16. The rest of it is mostly New Labour rubbish

By: tim leunig

tim leunig — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 20:58:30 +0000

I would strongly oppose disallowing cllrs allowances when calculating benefits. If this is a problem for cllrs allowances, it is a problem for all work. If that is the case, we need to fix the benefits system. To create a work around just for cllrs creates a very bad signal: the political class care only about their own, and the rest of the people can suffer because of a system that the political class created, but choose not to apply to themselves. It would be as bad as saying that MPs don’t have to pay the congestion charge.

Not often I disagree with Mary, but on this I do, profoundly.

By: Mary Reid

Mary Reid — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:27:12 +0000

I agree with most of what Tim says – yes to votes at 16 and STV (is that really the right system for multi-member wards?), no to shoehorned members in place of by-elections.

Earlier this week I got a chance to meet Dame Jane Roberts who chaired the Commission, and was very impressed with the way she had gone for some quite radical ideas.

I thanked her for including a recommendation that had originated with Lib Dem Kingston – to disallow a councillor’s allowance when calculating entitlement to benefits. A small point but a very significant one for widening representation. At present a councillor who is on benefits actually ends up financially worse off (as well as busier) when elected. This deterred a friend who would have made an excellent councillor, but who would have been caught in this trap because she is a single parent with a disabled child.

I also discussed with her the issue of the political restrictions placed on us by the Code of Conduct, and the way civil servants are keen to de-politicise councillors.

Let’s keep the good stuff alive – we shouldn’t be knocking this report which could bring about real liberal reforms.

By: bernard

bernard — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 11:12:50 +0000

Tim

I can’t comment on the detail of the report but if you would allow me a correction, the report was commissioned by the Government not Parliament. It was a commitment coming out of the 2006 LG White Paper. Not sure if that affects your argument.