Bad for democracy
Without local democracy, there is no democracy.
Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, 3 July 2008
The proposals for unitary local government in Norfolk are bad for democracy.
The proposals have not been subject to any consultation with the public which means the people who will pay the cost of change have not been given an opportunity to express their opinion on the proposals.
They are also bad for local representation because they dramatically reduce the number of directly elected councillors. Local ‘front line’ councillors are the bedrock of local democracy. But if the proposals for unitary local government go ahead the number of councillors in Norfolk will be cut by 70%. This would mean a ratio of one councillor to 7250 citizens.
It is my long held belief that local government is the point at which people can best connect with politics, that local democracy is central to strong communities, that local involvement and trust in people is how we make public services respond to people’s needs.
John Healy, speech to Local Government Association Annual Conference, 2 July 2008
This would be the highest ration of residents to councillors anywhere in England. Councillors would never be able to get to know their local residents. It would be unworkable.
Councillors currently spend about 95 hours a month on their duties. Cutting councillors by 70% will increase their workload to 320 hours a month per councillor just to maintain the current level of service. That is over 70 hours a week on top of a councillor’s day job. This level of commitment will put most people off even attempting to become involved in local politics.
