Agenda item

To receive the Diversity in Democracy Action Plan.

(a)       That the Committee approve the Diversity in Democracy action plan; and

(b)       That the Committee monitor the action plan at future Committee meetings.

The Chief Officer (Governance) presented the draft Diversity in Democracy action plan, as attached at Appendix 1 of the report.  The draft action plan was intended to reduce or remove barriers to election amongst underrepresented groups and contained a series of work streams.

Since 2018, the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) had been looking at whether the demography of elected representatives reflected the demography of the areas which they represented.  In 2021 it resolved to urge all Councils in Wales to commit to their own diversity in democracy declaration in order to try and make the elected Councillor cohort more reflective of the population as a whole.  The 11 key areas for consideration were summarised within the report and the Chief Officer detailed the proposed actions in relation to each area within the draft action plan, shown at Appendix 1.

The Chief Officer also provided details of the comments/suggestions made by Members during the briefing sessions held to consider the draft action plan and how these had been taken on board in presenting the report.

The Chief Officer invited the Environment and Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator to comment on the draft action plan and thanked her for her work in drafting the action plan.  The Facilitator did not wish to add anything to the introduction given by the Chief Officers, but suggested that the Committee may wish to add an additional recommendation that the Committee monitor the action plan going forward.

The recommendation, as outlined within the report, together with an additional recommendation that the Committee monitor the action plan in the future, were moved and seconded by Councillors Chris Bithell and Ian Smith. 

Councillor Chris Bithell spoke in support of the report and outlined the Council’s previous work, which had been recognised nationally, to increase diversification and encourage people to become Councillors.  He said he was disappointed to see that the number of young people who voted in the National Assembly for Wales election had been low and outlined the work the Council done in establishing a Youth Council and the opportunities in the past for young people to attend meetings with Councillors to debate issues.  He commented on employment policies for standing for public office and said that whilst employers may accommodate this, becoming a Councillor and having time off work to attend meetings etc. could affect opportunities within that employment in the future.

Councillor Ian Smith, whilst welcoming the proposals, spoke of meetings being held in the mornings/afternoon discouraging young people from standing for election.  He said that Committee meetings being held in the morning required Councillors to take a full day from work to attend.  He also commented on meetings with outside bodies also being held in the day and the inability for Councillors who worked full time to regularly meet with the Police etc. due to work commitments.  

Councillor Mike Peers spoke about the support he had received from a large employer who had a Policy for standing for public office, when he decided to stand as a Councillor.  He also commented on the support needed for people who wished to stand as a Councillor and the information and advice needed.  He referred to the action plan and asked when the timeframe for the objectives would be completed.

A number of Members commented on and gave examples of the difficulties faced with work colleagues when having time off to attend meetings and carry out duties as Councillors and felt that this could be a barrier for people wishing to stand for election.

In response to the question from Councillor Peers, the Chief Officer explained that the timeframe would be completed prior to the report being presented to County Council in February, 2022.  In the meantime, officers would start working on some of the actions outlined within the action plan. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Committee approve the Diversity in Democracy action plan; and

(b)       That the Committee monitor the action plan at future Committee meetings.