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Councillors Commission Report Publication

Date of speech	10 December 2007
Location	BAFTA, London

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Transcript of the speech as delivered.

I first became a councillor nearly 25 years ago and served for the best part of a decade. 

It was a wonderful experience: it was a lot of hard work. 

I would tell anyone thinking of standing as a councillor that it is a serious commitment: I would tell them they wouldn't regret it for a second.

And I'm very pleased to be here for the launch of the Commission's report into how we can get more people to come forward.

My whole political background is rooted in the streets and estates of Salford, and I've always believed that democracy is built from the bottom up. 

When there's a problem on your street, it's no good expecting someone sitting in an office in London to come up with a solution to every little detail. 

They can't.

It is local people who understand the problems best, local people who have the real genius for solving them. 

And if our communities are to prosper as global forces transform the way we live and work, and face up to new challenges like climate change and migration, then we need a thriving local democracy.

That's why I'm proud to be leading the push for what the Prime Minister has called "a reinvention of the way we govern", a massive shift of power and influence away from Whitehall and towards local people and the leaders who represent them.

We are already delivering greater flexibility for local authorities to set their own priorities and direct funding to meet them.  

At the same time we are encouraging a massive expansion in the means of giving people the opportunities and confidence to speak up for themselves - everything from opening up the process of setting local budgets, to developing local charters, to transferring underused buildings direct to community groups.

Some have suggested this spells the end for the local councillor.

But in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

Councillors are and will remain the backbone of our local democracy. 

They take decisions that shape what our towns and cities, villages and countryside look like. 

They help solve challenges that make a huge difference to people's lives.  From dealing with noisy neighbours, to claiming benefits, to getting recycling facilities, to sprucing up housing to getting rid of litter.

They are the voice for local people, celebrating everything that is special about an area, setting a vision for its future.

The best already exercise power in close consultation with people - recognising that they draw their legitimacy and strength from their direct relationship and accountability to those they serve.

In the months and years to come, as we turn the "reinvention of the way we govern" into reality, the role of local councillor is only going to become more important.

But, as your film set out, there are some big challenges.

Even as the role becomes more important, too many people don't even know who their councillor is or understand what they do. 

Far too few think about becoming a councillor themselves.

There are plenty of talented people who could make a big contribution but are discouraged for one reason or another.

It's vital to break down those barriers.

That means helping people balance being a councillor with work, family life or other commitments.

It means showing that being a councillor isn't all about jargon, process, taking decisions in dusty back rooms. It's about helping people on the front line.

And it means showing that being a councillor really is for everyone.

It simply can't be right that a hundred years after women first came to the town hall only 3 in 10 councillors are women: that the proportion of councillors from ethnic minority backgrounds is half the proportion of BME people in the country: or that people under thirty, who make up a third of the population, account for barely one thirtieth of our councillors. 

And because the best democracy truly reflects the people it serves, it's important that British citizens of whatever background - whether Chinese, Turkish, Polish, Greek, Portuguese - have the opportunity to contribute not just to this country's economic and cultural life but to its civic life as well.

That's why I believe the recommendations that you are launching today are the next step in a vital debate.

Ten months ago Government asked Dame Jane Roberts to lead an independent commission. 

The past ten months have seen a lot of hard work. The Commission has run debates and seminars with a wide range of people up and down the country. 

They've talked to people outside local government, as well as inside it.

They've listened to all three main political parties.

And they've heard from community activists - people who understand what's happening on the ground, at the grass roots.

As well as drawing on existing research they've commissioned their own.

So today's report casts a fresh eye on a vital issue, with a set of recommendations on how to raise councillors' profile, how to encourage more people to stand, and how to make sure that they truly represent the people they serve.

It's in the nature of an independent commission that those recommendations should be original, challenging, radical in places.

The next stage now should be an open debate about these issues, where all the different players have a say.

So I look forward to discussing them with councils, local leaders, the Local Government Association, the Improvement and Development Agency, and others.

Just as the Commission reached out to engage as many people as possible, I want to hear a wide range of views, and so today we are opening a forum our website to generate an on-line discussion.

The Government will respond formally in spring.

But let me say right now that there are some areas I'm very encouraged by.

I'm particularly impressed by measures to encourage more young mayors like those in Lewisham and Newham, elected by schoolchildren in the borough and given a budget and a voice to deal with their concerns.

I welcome further debate about whether we should introduce new incentives, thinking carefully about what is appropriate, to encourage to people to vote in local elections or participate in their communities.

I will look carefully at the recommendations for all political parties to do better at tackling the under-representation of female, BME and disabled councillors, and the role that the Equality and Human Rights Commission can play.

And the vast majority of councillors make a vital contribution to public life, but I will also explore the recommendation on 'clawing back' allowances where there are serious concerns about their performance.

There are some other areas where we do need a debate, but I'm not currently persuaded by the recommendations.

I believe we can give better support and get better local representation from councillors without imposing a major new financial burden on local taxpayers. Many of the best councillors tell us that serving the public is an honour, rather than a profession. For that reason, we will not take forward recommendations which cover the use of parachute payments or extended benefits and pension schemes.

Or take reserve candidates.  It has been argued that councillors should be allowed to serve less than four years by bringing in 'reserve candidates' without by-elections. I don't think the public - who must ultimately decide who represents them - would find this acceptable or democratic.

And finally, there are some areas where the report's recommendations feed into a wider debate - Proportional Representation and Voting Age, for example. It is important that people understand and are clear about the voting system and age. This a wider issue for the Government to consider as a whole. The Government is proposing to the Speaker of the House of Commons that he call a conference to consider issues such as registration, weekend voting, and the representation of women and ethnic minorities which could impact on voter turnout. It is proposed that he should also examine whether we should lower the voting age to 16.

One final thought before we move on.

I believe we've got a huge opportunity today.

Get it right, and five years from now we could see a flood of applicants, not a trickle. 

Councillors rightly celebrated, instead of unjustly overlooked. 

And many more people getting involved and making their communities proud. 

I look forward to getting there.

I'm grateful to Dame Jane and her fellow Commissioners for their hard work and I'm looking forward now, as I know you all are, to hearing from Jane herself.