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 CouncillorA 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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