The Councillor Role : Local Government Representation in a Shifting Political Environment

Abstract

The considerable change that occurred in the local government environment in the last three decades of the 20th century, while modernising and rejuvenating this political system, has significantly undermined the representative role. Further, threats posed to this elected position have not been alleviated with the strengthening of this political environment that has occurred through more recent legislative change. These findings stand in stark contrast to both the underlying ideology of representative government promoted on this sector and to a clear preference by communities to be legitimately represented in local decision-making. While there are differences of opinion on how this can be done, by whom and how many, the weight of evidence in the research undertaken for this thesis shows that the concept of political representation remains at the centre of the ongoing debate on the need for a legitimate voice for local communities. The surprise has been in how little this has been acknowledged within these changing times. This thesis is about the retention of representative democracy in local communities. It argues that the councillor role needs to be strengthened through the establishment of a minimum representation ratio; through statutory recognition of the representative role alongside the governance role and through the development of a skill set for councillors that supports strong links with local communities.