Friday, 1st November, 2013
The ideal councillor
Councillors turning up to County Hall this week have each been greeted with a colourful brochure deposited in their pigeon holes, and it’s proving to be quite a humorous talking point within the tea room.
Titled ‘Councillor Griff,’ this in-house publication aims to educate primary school-age children on what Pembrokeshire County Council is and does, and is intended to be given to year 5 and 6 pupils.
Taking the loose form of a children’s adventure comic, the young reader is encouraged to ‘join Councillor Griff on his journey around Pembrokeshire,’ where he will get to know all of the services and functions the authority provides. The role a councillor plays in all of this is fleetingly outlined, along with a reminder – dare the kids forget – that ‘the council tax in Pembrokeshire is the lowest in Wales.’
The dishevelled appearance of the fictional Councillor Griff has led to speculation over which – if any – real-life councillor he’s based on.
Bespectacled, and with unkempt hair, an unbuttoned collar and a loose neck-tie, the monochrome Councillor Griff is said by some to bear some similarities to a member you may find alongside the salt and vinegar.
At a time when voter turnouts are at their lowest ever, and interest among youngsters in any form of politics barely registers on the scale, the importance of instilling in children the importance of democracy and what their representatives are supposed to do for them, can only be a good thing.
I do my bit to try, too. For two years in a row I’ve been invited back to my old school to speak to the Greenhill sixth-formers as part of a module on democracy within their Welsh Baccalaureate.
I tell them that I think the education system should revisit some of the old fashioned teaching methods, and be doing more to encourage more worldly understanding from an earlier age. I explain that it would be highly beneficial for schoolchildren to be taught in detail about finances, taxes, pensions, accounting, democracy, politics and other practical issues that they would never be able to get through life by avoiding.
I back this up with the truthful claim that, since leaving Greenhill, I’ve not once found myself needing to work out the volume of a cone or the area of a rhombus.
Given the backdrop, Councillor Griff has got his work cut out, almost literally, because it was his first activity that brought the naughty schoolboy out in me – well, not many years have passed, admittedly. The task, which I have reproduced below, is called ‘The ideal Councillor,’ and is a blank canvas with a printed outline of a human body. (Corpse?)
The kids are asked to add sketches to the outline which represent some of the traits and attributes they believe would make the ideal councillor.
One of the examples given is that drawing on big ears would represent a good listener.
It got me thinking about some of the additions a precocious pupil might sketch onto their activity sheet. With certain serving councillors in mind, it crossed JW’s mind that some children might be inspired to draw on a dog collar attached to a tight leash to represent ‘obedience.’
Then there’s a big pink snout, which would do well to demonstrate ‘selflessness,’ or, alternatively, an elongated nose to demonstrate ‘honesty’ – the longer the appendage, the more honest the hooter’s holder is. That sort of thing.
I have to admit, the urge to deface my copy was overbearing. So, out came the pencil case and colouring pencils. And I was on a roll, too, because in under a minute I’d managed to depict at least three traits through just one illustration!
‘Good memory,’ ‘good time-management’ and ‘generosity’ are some of the many qualities that I represented by drawing a shirt pocket onto the councillor with a sheet of paper poking out of it with the words ‘TRAVEL EXPENSES CLAIM FORM’ visible.
❏What illustrations would you add for an ideal councillor?
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Are you having us on Jacob?
Is this part of the IPG’s improvement path? How dare this failed council have the nerve to indoctrinate the younger generation in the role of a councillor.
I am so pleased that while facing substantial cuts to our services, we apparently have money for this.
Who approved this? What budget did it come out of? How much did it cost? How much would we save if the Department that produced this was axed?
I whole heartedly agree with your campaign, it is desperate that broadly we are not taught how we are governed, but perhaps it is thought that this is a good thing.
So much has failed in this country (UK), that the powers that be, politicians and senior administrators, may not want us knowing too much. WE might decide that they are all rubbish and not worth voting for.
Hi John,
Not much at all of the leaflet explains the role of the councillor, it mainly visits the departments and facilities, from libraries to waste and recycling, then on to tourism, transport, leisure, children and schools, housing, adult services, planning, parking, the crematorium and cemeteries, Scolton Manor, then finally public protection.
Pretty much the only information on councillors is:
“There are 60 councillors, who each represent people living in the different areas in Pembrokeshire. Councillors have a duty to serve their communities and work with council officers to provide services to the public.”
There are times when a Victor Meldrew-like exclamation of, “I don’t believe it!!” is not enough.
To “work with officers” puts it well. I thought officers worked for Councillors on our behalf.
What about a pair of boots.
As in, fill yer boots.
And a pair of trousers.
Otherwise they won’t be able to trouser all those Special Responsibility Allowances.
Draw on a toothbrush moustache.
If the council really wants their school youth to know what goes on in the council and what councillors get up to they should bring bus loads of children in to witness the full council meetings.
Not even the schoolkids would behave as shamelessly as that meeting where the pay regrading was discussed (OR NOT discussed) months back.
John, I think that statement may well be a Freudian slip.
The only real addition needed for the “ideal councillor” would be some holes to attach the strings for the puppetmaster.
So, a Councillor’s job is to ‘work with the Officers’. This statement speaks volumes as to who is in charge at County Hall doesn’t it.
How much did this cost? What budget is it from? Who approved it?
You seem to be treating this as some sort of joke Jacob, but I am sure the electorate at large does not share your sense of humour as they try to come to terms with the serious effects of cuts to services.
I have often wondered whether the work of the Tourism Department of PCC could be carried out more effectively by the tourism industry itself. Substantial savings there.
Some years ago, I recall that officers of the Council used to give presentations to schools about the role of officers in the Council. These were aimed at older students, presumably as a careers appetiser. I couldn’t think of any other legitimate reason.
This, from memory of outline reports in the WT, involved the completion of classroom exercises assessing the spending priorities between competing services for scarce financial resources. I thought then, that determining priorities was a job for councillors.
Clearly I do not understand the role of officers and/or councillors in Pembrokeshire. Can anyone enlighten me?
Perhaps, Jacob, you could let us know what role a councillor plays and what opportunity a councillor has to influence matters in the forthcoming budget process.
Jacob, can I make the suggestion that you start a new section on your website for a collation of Councillors’ insane, ridiculous, contradictory, or just plain laughable quotes.
I would like to start the ball rolling with Cllr David Pugh’s latest howler, that town centre shops want parking charges to encourage “change over” and as such he supports increasing car park charges.
John – you wouldn’t even know about this new booklet had I not brought it to your attention. I don’t know which budget it was funded from or how much it cost but I shall table a question for the December meeting of council so we can all find out more about it.
John Hudson – there have long been criticisms of the role (or non-role) backbench councillors play in shaping budgets. I submitted a question on the involvement of all members in the budget-setting process about two council meetings ago, and I remember Cllr. Viv Stoddart has also asked about it, as have others I can’t remember specifically at this moment. We are reassured that the involvement of all members is important.
Since I have been on the council, members haven’t been presented with options to choose from, with the effects of each option explained and then a majority decision made for a certain option, or set of options. All decisions are taken by the leader and cabinet – and higher! – and if anybody seriously believes that the budget is ever going to be changed when it comes to being ratified at full council, then they are deluded, unfortunately.
“But don’t councillors get involved in shaping the budget long before it comes to full council as members of committees?” I hear you say, well, discussions over particular cuts presented to the overview and scrutiny committees hold little sway, at least, I can say this with some confidence as a member of the environment overview and scrutiny committee.
However, maybe this year will be different? A seminar has been arranged for all councillors “regarding the recently announced financial settlement and the potential implications for service delivery.”
Furthermore, I’m told that all community councils in Pembrokeshire have been invited to send up to three representatives along to an evening seminar delivered by the council’s bigwigs. The event will be delivered by: “the Leader and Cabinet Members to discuss the implications of this year’s financial settlement and the process of reviewing service delivery.” Attendees have also been told: “you will have the opportunity to share your suggestions and voice any concerns you may have.”
Weasel – I think that cause would be worthy of a website all of its own! Having looked at the likeliest source, I have found Cllr. Pugh’s quote in this Western Telegraph article. It does seem quite an unusual thing to say, that he is welcoming these higher car parking charges. That’s not the best of it, though, because that same article also quotes the leader as saying: “What users are looking for are safe, well maintained parking opportunities.”
What sort of English is that? What on earth is a ‘parking opportunity’?
Thanks for your comments on the budget inputs of councillors which seem to be minimal or none, as I suspected. All competing options have been decided and not put to our elected representatives.
The budget by now will have been drafted by officers ready for presentation to councillors and the public. All the subsequent “secret” (non public) presentations are just window dressing to endow the process with an illusion of democratic process.
The Leading Group have not told us what instructions/directions to formulate the budget they have given to officers, and it is difficult to see how a disparate collection of individual councillors can influence matters without combining around a policy or policies in opposition to the budget as drafted.
Once approved by the Council, officers have full delegated authority to spend and vire money within their budgets and the Director of Finance has full delegated authority to allocate reserves, both capital and revenue. The Council, that is elected members, cease to have any role or control and the Cabinet is reduced to nodding through three month monitoring reports.
In round terms we consistently carry a total revenue reserve of some £40m to £50m outside of the required Council balance of £6m to met unexpected contingencies. The revenue reserve is earmarked for several individual purposes, each one added to and spent against during the year and the balance remaining then carried forward.
Might I suggest that one possibility is to review the level of required reserves as a total and see whether it can be reduced without impacting the performance of services.
Of all the businesses in Haverfordwest, I’d like to challenge Cllr David Pugh to provide the names of FIVE business owners who “want parking charges” to encourage changeover.
Could you put this question to him Jacob?
As an electorate I can confirm Pembrokeshire people do appeal to your sense of humour. What the people of Pembrokeshire cannot tolerate is over paid people running the county who do not care about its people. So good work Jacob and Mike, keep us informed of the council’s wrongdoings.
Have a good look at staffing, department by department. You will find that everyone is fully employed and busy but the question to be asked is whether the work they are doing is really necessary.
For instance you will find a team in the Planning Department drawing up and reviewing local plans. Has anyone ever wondered whether a plan needs to be reviewed?
Ask everyone what they are doing, then ask yourselves whether the work they are doing is necessary. You may be amazed at the result.
If Cllr. Pugh is right that parking charges lead to increased “footfall” in the local shops, why it is that the supermarkets have been so slow to catch on?