More than a year ago the
Williams report recommended urgent change in the Welsh council structure. Their key points were interesting:
The following local authorities should merge:
Isle of Anglesey and Gwynedd
Conwy and Denbighshire
Flintshire and Wrexham
Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend
Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil
Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Torfaen
Monmouthshire and Newport
and some councils did follow the suggestions and discussed mergers with those shown. Although the reforms would cost money, as the BBC correspondent said at the time
There may be some scepticism about the potential costs, and it is always tricky to explain how different structures might lead to better services. But fewer politicians? That will be the easiest part of the package to sell to the public.
However, the WA Local Government minister has now proposed more fundamental changes, which include
Council elections every five years, not four as at present
Maximum five terms - 25 years - for councillors
Maximum two terms - 10 years - for council leaders and cabinet members
Pay councillors in line with those on similar sized councils elsewhere in the UK
Public sector employers to give staff unpaid leave to carry out duties as councillors, and other employers encouraged to do the same
Council leaders and chief executives given a duty to promote and respect diversity
Youth councils to be set up by each authority
While fewer politicians might well be desirable (and I've long argued that parochiality is not a good roadmap for politics) isn't the fundamental issue that of trust?
We no longer trust any politician, from those on the gravy train of the EU down to local community councillors in some cases, yet it's hard to see how reducing Council numbers will improve that situation. Putting greater distance between the elector and the elected only serves to increase mistrust.
Why did we ever think it was a good thing to start paying councillors? At one time all councils were run by unpaid volunteers, and the argument for paying the Cabinets was simply that you'd get people more qualified for the job if they were paid a living wage. But that ignored the incestuous nature of party politics and those making the recommendations stopped short of identifying one major issue: party allegiance. Perhaps if all councils were composed of Independents, accountability might be increased, although it's hard to see how that could be legislated and the WA would certainly not want to go down that path.
So what's the solution? How should councils be formed and should they be paid at all, other than out-of-pocket expenses?