The LGA has published new guidance for employees and employers
Representation in leadership is fundamental for inclusive and informed decision-making.
In addition to protected characteristics such as age, gender and race, true representation also encompasses wider insights, such as paid employment and caring responsibilities.
According to the LGA’s ‘National Census of local authority councillors 2022’, the average age of councillors was 60 years, 16 per cent were aged under 45, 42 per cent were 65 or over, and 32 per cent were in employment. Further research within the LGA has also heard that many young people feel uncertain that they could balance the demands of paid employment with the role of a councillor.
To support working-age people to consider standing for election and thrive in both employment and their community role, the LGA’s Be a Councillor campaign has developed a guide for employees and employers.
The guide is informed by focus group sessions with elected members, which drew out, in detail, the mutual benefits of employing a councillor – with the most important being the broad range of highly transferable skills – and examples of the kind of support from employers that had enabled working-age councillors to undertake both roles effectively.
This support included a culture of corporate social responsibility and the availability of flexible working options.
The guide details the councillor role and expectations, the transferable skills benefit, practicalities around time commitment, and the right to time off for public duties, as well as valuable tips to help ensure effective working cultures and arrangements.
It encourages prospective candidates to thoroughly investigate the practicalities of the role – for example, how frequently meetings take place and the level of responsibility involved. The importance of discussing issues with employers ahead of standing for election is also promoted, particularly managing competing demands and ensuring elected member and employee roles remain distinct.
The guide also signposts the broad range of support for prospective and elected councillors through the national Be a Councillor campaign, local council events, and the programmes of activity run by the LGA’s political groups, including hearing from councillors currently balancing the role with employment.
Employers are encouraged to consider how they can provide the enabling support identified by councillors, such as: options for flexible, remote, part-time or compressed working hours; recognition of the transferable skills that elected members bring to employment; and consideration for people in varying types of work – such as those in frontline roles with shift patterns.
The guide also outlines the more general benefits of corporate social responsibility, staff recruitment and retention, and the importance of setting out such cultures and practices in organisational policies, to support elected members and organisations to thrive together.
What do you think of Be a Councillor?
Since 2009, the LGA’s Be a Councillor programme has encouraged people from a broad range of backgrounds to put themselves forward to become local councillors. To help us assess its long-term impact and plan its next phase, please complete our evaluation survey by Friday 28 February 2025.