One of the very best things about serving your local community as an elected Town Councillor is helping to make a positive difference; making life better for our town’s residents, businesses, and voluntary organisations. It may be something quite small like providing funds for a community group or a more substantial project like improvements to infrastructure. There are fourteen unpaid Town Councillors elected to serve all parts of the town.
The Council decision making process is theoretically simple - it starts by listening to community views, then determining priorities and finally working together with fellow councillors to make decisions about allocating resources to do things that will improve our town. That’s what we try and achieve at Wymondham Town Council. Before items come to Council meetings, the councillors are provided with information and advised by the paid staff of the Council, the Clerk and his team, who are then responsible for implementing in a timely fashion the decisions made by the Council.
Of course, as councillors, just like family members or work colleagues, we don’t always agree on every item that comes before us. But at Council meetings we try and ensure there is healthy, informed debate, allowing all views to be properly, seriously and professionally aired before coming to a decision. Members of the public can attend most meetings of the Council so it is particularly important that your councillors and the paid staff of the Council show mutual respect and display high standards of conduct.
According to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), “It is evident most councillors and paid staff in local councils want to maintain the highest standards of conduct at their council, but unfortunately there are sometimes examples of poor behaviour and a lack of respect which can not only undermine the work of a council but also cause concern to councillors, staff and members of the community.”
“In councils where councillors, the clerk, and staff work in harmony, considerable benefits are provided for the local community and there are many excellent examples of this. Unfortunately, there has sometimes been a lack of civility and respect in some councils, leading to bullying and harassment. Although this is in the minority it is nonetheless significant and can have a serious detrimental impact on the well-being of those involved, the functionality and finances of the council, as well as the local community.”
There is no place for bullying, harassment, and intimidation in any aspect of life and this is especially true in local councils. NALC recognises how important civility and respect is to the running of successful councils and have recently produced valuable guidance and a pledge for those councils who want to ‘walk the talk.’ Signing up to the Civility and Respect Pledge is one of the ways a council can demonstrate that it is committed to standing up to poor behaviour across the work of the council, and to demonstrate positive changes which support civil and respectful conduct.
Wymondham Town Council has an opportunity to commit to this pledge. To ensure that working between councillors and staff is both civil and respectful. To ensure that communication to and from the Council with members of the public also follows these same principles and more than that to commit its staff and councillors to training and ongoing development.
My hope is that Wymondham Town Council (its councillors, Clerk and staff), following a respectful and civilised debate, embrace this opportunity in full.
