Young Blood

Every weekend councillors up and down the country will have delivered their copy of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) First magazine and occasionally there is an article or feature which captures my imagination.

Last weekend was one of those occasions with an excellent and thought provoking feature on young councillors and the barriers that they face whilst undertaking their duties.

According to the LGA's annual census of councillors, the average age of elected members rose from 55 in 1997 to 60 in 2010. What stops young people from becoming councillors, and what makes younger councillors less likely to stand for re-election?

It seems from the case studies featured that some of the constant barriers for young councillors are around not being taken seriously, that they are often treated differently and their comments are brushed to one side.

As I was first elected at the age of 27 it got me thinking to see if these were some of the issues that I had faced and I have say they are a resounding no. Within my own party I can hand on my heart say that age has had no barrier with a number of the younger councillors in our ranks serving on the cabinet and holding roles as Chairman and Vice Chairman on various scrutiny committees.

Whilst I can not speak for the other parties we certainly run on the principle that if you are good enough you are old enough.

Regardless of age, from my own experience, I believe that the main barrier that councillors face is attending meetings whilst also holding down a full time job. Whilst officers offer levels of flexibility so meetings can be held in the evenings, councillors working full-time face a huge challenge in balancing the conflicting demands of their council and employer.

With the demands of full time work and council duties there are some weeks when most of my days are 14-15 hours long. It often surprises residents that I also hold a full time job as well as being a councillor.  

Whilst I have remained at my current place of work since being elected in 2006, there has been no doubt that being a councillor has damaged my prospects of progression with my current employer.

If I was to ever leave my current employer, even though I have gained a lot of skills and experience being a councillor I'm not sure that I would risk putting it on my CV, because it might result in not being offered the job as the interviewer might think that I would be distracted and not prioritise my job. I do believe that we do need to find of persuading employers that councillors add value to their firm.

I am fortunate that I do have a flexible employer which helps meet the employer – councillor balance but more importantly, you need to have a very supportive family!

Whilst it's relatively easy to persuade people in their 20s to stand for election, the biggest challenge is to hold on to councillors in their 30s and 40s, when the pressures are greatest.