Speaker's Conference (on Parliamentary Representation) Contents


Annex B

Research carried out for the Councillors Commission on the incentives and barriers to becoming councillors faced by under- represented groups

Haberis and Prendergrast, Research Report 1: Incentives and Barriers to Becoming and Remaining a Councillor—A Review of the UK Literature

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS

Female councillors

    — The single-member simple-plurality First-Past-The-Post system in operation in many local elections in Britain acts to discourage female representation.

    — Women are also discouraged from participating in local politics by competing time commitments often related to domestic and caring duties.

    — Women have a weaker sense of political efficacy than men and are further put off by the male-orientated ethos of local government.

    — Women are less likely to be involved in traditional forms of campaign orientated party political activism which impacts on their selection.

Ethnic minority councillors

    — The success of ethnic minority councillors is tied to population concentration and geographical location.

    — People from BME communities may prefer to participate in non-traditional political structures outside the formal public sphere.

    — Disengagement related to deprivation and social exclusion may disproportionately affect people from BME communities.

    — Modes of mobilisation differ amongst ethnic communities, for example the Indian community is more engaged with mainstream political institutions than some other ethnic Asian communities.

    — BME councillors are sometimes considered representatives only of people from ethnic communities; this is resisted by some councillors.

    — Evidence about ethnicity-based barriers to selection is mixed, with some studies suggesting ethnic candidates face selector hostility and others suggesting that ethnicity is an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

    — There is some evidence of differing motivations; in particular, only 16.7 per cent of ethnic minority councillors report that they were motivated by being asked to do so, compared to 30.0 per cent of white councillors.

Young councillors

    — Many young people lack an awareness of and interest in local government, butsome of those who appear disengaged from formal structures are participating on non-traditional political spheres.

    — The time commitment associated with the councillor role appears to be a very important barrier to participation for young people; competing demands on time associated with careers, families and social lives are regularly cited in the literature.

    — Young people commonly have negative and stereotypical perceptions of councillors and consider local government to be disinterested in their views.

    — Party membership by young people is very low and this impacts on their selection as candidates.

    — Those young people who are councillors tend to be motivated by strong political beliefs, a desire to change things, and a commitment to community service.

Councillors with a disability or limiting long-term illness

    — Disabled people face barriers related to access and mobility, both in terms of physical and informational accessibility.

    — Barriers related to deprivation and social exclusion may disproportionately affect people with disabilities.

    — Disabled people may face additional financial costs for being a councillor.

    — Disabled people may suffer due to discriminatory or ignorant attitudes.

    — Disabled people may find it harder to partake in traditional campaign orientated activism which impacts on their selection chances.








 
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