How does a councillor who has no support from his colleagues hold his council to account?

Question

There appears to be a lot of parish councillors who have their backs to the wall facing adverse comments, bullying, and intimidation for daring to question the status quo. There is recourse to the Principal Authority's Monitoring Officer by triggering a Code of Conduct complaint, and while this may help to resolve the immediate issue the residual problem of group exclusion of the individual councillor usually remains.                                                                                                                                                                                        There is a tendency not to expose internal problems to the electorate for fear of accusations of 'dividing the village' or stimulating 'petty bickering', but there are options of  including the press, village newsletters, and the formation of pressure groups in order to initiate positive change. The question arises when that action in itself may constitute a breach of the Code of Conduct?

Answer 1

Tough question. It is difficult for an individual to take on a council. In the end, public support is needed to make progress, and the public may be apathetic if there is no major issue that concerns them.

Certainly, it is a lot to be said for building a group of like minded people, and a councillor is entitled to hold discussions on local matters with a private group. Ideally, at least some of the group will go a step further and be willing to be candidates for election to the council. If a vacancy arises, it is always possible to force a poll, although there is a cost to this so the impact on public opinion has to be considered.

Provided the challengers to the status quo are careful to stick to facts and to follow the procedures laid down by the legislation (at least so far as they understand them), there should be nothing to fear. Where there is any doubt about the law, the principles I follow are to be honest and to consider whether an action accords with the democratic rights of local people.

Good luck!