So what did I learn... what struck me?
There is a small but significant minority of councils where there are great tensions present either between councillors, between councillors and the clerk, or both! This is about 15% at the last count from a survey carried out by Hoey Ainscough Associates and the Society for Local Council Clerks (SLCC) last year. Indeed some 5% of parish councils are entirely log-jammed with conflict, it would appear.
As always, the best form of cure is prevention although sadly often conflict creeps up inside a council until it reaches a point where there can be no easy return. Paul Hoey who gave one the presentations said that he felt he and his colleagues were often called in too late to resolve the conflicts in the councils who hire him.
Whilst there is an extensive and detailed standards regime and a Code of Conduct, the sanctions are mostly toothless. The Government in 2012 installed a much lighter touch set of policies in the belief that the ballot box sorts out the recalcitrant and bullying councillors. Unsurprisingly, the SLCC thinks this is not enough as what happens if a new councillor is elected and quickly found to be obnoxious to fellow councillors or staff? Waiting another three years may not be the best option. Also the voters often have no idea about what is happening at this level inside a local council.
The presenter from the National Association of Local Councils countered by saying that sometimes Clerks don't help situations of conflict and it is not always down to awkward councillors.
Some of stories (given anonymously) were both horrific and humorous. For example there is one council that has not met in 5 years because the first item on every agenda is for one councillor to issue an apology. When he does not, the meeting is suspended. This happens time after time. In another council, a councillor from a council that had just been successfully sued for constructive dismissal had a letter from the County Council saying he was not a bully. The letter asserted this because (and I quote) this was his normal behaviour!
The SLCC are compiling a list of case studies. Although have a read of these from a training programme offered by Hoey Ainscough Associates. I am guessing they are based on real events!
Many councils run significant human and financial risks either by having inadequate procedures to regulate staff management, or ineffective chairing of meetings which allows councillors to get away with (for example) insulting and impugning the integrity of the Clerk, or by not sufficiently investing in the training and development of the members or all three and more! And sometimes the warning signs are ignored and the conflicts grow. Paul Hoey presented this slide for example:
All in all this was a very thought provoking day which left me pondering on what more I and we in the TC can do to ensure that everyone (every Councillor, the Town Clerk, and all paid and voluntary staff) is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
List of the contributors
- Julie Openshaw - Monitoring Officer from Wycombe District Council
- Paul Hoey - former strategic director of the English Standards Board (now a private consultant)
- Jonathan Owen - Chief Exec of the National Association of Local Councils
- Rob Smith - Chief Exec of the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC is the professional body for local clerks)
- Vicky Jacomb - Came & Co (insurance company that specialises in working for local councils)
And this excellent day was convened by Carole Burslem, the County Officer of the Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Association of Local Councils. The day was sponsored by CCLA (represented by Mark Davies) and Came & Co. Thanks to Carole and all for this learning conference.
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