Government research ignores voters, and shows they have less say than ever before

Answers given in the House of Commons to Bay MP Adrian Sanders have revealed that the Government’s changes to how councils work since 2000 have left voters and councillors more divided than ever before. 

Evaluating the impact of the Local Government Act 2000, which brought among other things elected mayors, officials found that less than one in five council officers, councillors or ‘stakeholders’ thought that the changes had improved public involvement in local democracy.  Only 11% of respondents thought that the average councillor had more impact under the new arrangements.

Mr Sanders has condemned the results as a reflection of the Government’s centralised tinkering in local matters which prevents local communities having a say in how they are run.  Indeed, the research had not involved speaking to a single member of the public, concentrating only on the views of councillors, ‘stakeholders’ and council employees.

Mr Sanders said: “The Government really needs to recognise that at a national and local level people’s wishes are being ignored.  That the new council system has obviously failed yet is proclaimed a success by the Government is the worst kind of propaganda.”

Local surveys undertaken by Torbay Council and Mr Sanders both reveal an unprecedented mistrust of the local authority and a deepening disengagement in local politics.

While the raw statistics revealed that there are serious problems with how councils are now run, the Government’s summary report found that ‘new political management arrangements support visible and effective political leadership’ and praised the new system for ‘enhancing democratic legitimacy.’

Mr Sanders added: “What we have now is a very undemocratic system of local government.  It is not intentional but fewer people are interested in becoming councillors and fewer councillors have influence on the council.  It is no wonder that so few people are voting.  We need a total overhaul of how local services are delivered.  At a national level we can give more powers and funding to councils and locally councils must act upon rather than just appearing to listen to people’s views.”

“We have seen the failings of Government policy in Torbay.  What was always a politically unstable council has been further damaged by immense over-centralising of decision making.  This leaves out the say of the public and very often councillors as well.”

Mr Sanders has compiled a list of hidden statistics showing the failure of Government changes to councils:

• Only 18% of officers, councillors and stakeholders felt Mayoral and other ‘strong leader’ systems increased public involvement in local politics.
• 53% thought the speed of decision making was not improved.
• Only 11% felt that non-cabinet member councillors had an improved role.
• 37% of councillors agreed that Overview and Scrutiny Committees were effective at holding local government to account.
• Only 21% felt that the new system encouraged women to become involved in local government.
• Torbay has the second ever lowest turnout for Mayoral elections; on 23.9%, only Mansfield in 2002 experienced more apathy.
• 36% of councillors feel that councils are now better able to deal with ‘cross cutting issues’
• 26% of councillors and officers agree that the new system allows good management of relations in and between party groups and also in responding to concerns raised by non-executive councillors.