Terms of Reference

The Commission's terms of reference are:

The Commission will submit a report to the Secretary of State by December 2007 making recommendations regarding the incentives and barriers to:

  • encouraging suitably able, qualified and representative people to be candidates to serve as councillors of principal authorities;
  • their retention and development once elected, or appointed under the Local Government Act 2000; and
  • their being able to secure public interest and recognition for the work they carry out for their communities.

The review will be launched in February 2007 and the Commission is expected to commence its work soon after. The detail of the Commission's work plan will be agreed with a joint Communities and Local Government/Local Government Association project board but it would be expected to examine the following issues:

  • within the roles set out in the Local Government White Paper the requirements and time commitments expected of councillors and cabinet members;
  • support for councillors to develop the necessary skills for their role;
  • the way councils operate to facilitate councillors to function effectively and confidently in carrying out their responsibilities;
  • the current restrictions on who can become a councillor;
  • the problem of getting time-off work;
  • whether the allowance and remuneration regime for councillors:
    • delivers value for money;
    • takes account of comparable increases in public sector pay;
    • takes account of constraints on local government resources; and
    • maintains public confidence;
  • the public perception of the strengths and weaknesses of councillors;
  • the communication of councillors' roles and impact on the communities;
  • the real or perceived barriers faced by many sections of the population to get to become a candidate.

In the light of the conclusions and recommendations for the councillors of principal authorities, the review is to examine and make recommendations for parish councillors, having regard to the substantial differences between the roles and responsibilities of such councillors and those of principal authority councillors and the potential impact on parish precepts.

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