Ever since I became a Parish Councillor, one of my responsibilities was what you might call external liaison, i.e. attending meetings of bodies that reach beyond our small (but perfectly formed) parish. That really consisted of two things, the Stowmarket Area Road Safety Committee and the local branch of the Suffolk Association of Local Councils.
And, in truth, I have enjoyed both of them, albeit that I played a central role in bringing the Road Safety Committee to an end (it had become clear that the committee had run its course). But, and I know this may come as a surprise to many, I’m not always very good at promoting myself, so tend to take on organisational roles rather than leadership ones. I only became Chair of Creeting St Peter because I was the victim of a very genteel ambush by my fellow councillors.
The local branch of the County Association is a little more serious. I am an active participant in its meetings, partly because of my natural curiosity - I still feel like a newcomer after a decade or so, and my colleagues have a lot of knowledge and experience that I appreciate - and partly because, thanks to Ros, I have a far better sense of how local government works (or doesn’t).
And so, this evening, I logged into the Mid Suffolk Autumn Area Forum, held on Zoom. There was an issue that I wanted to raise - punctures sustained on local roads - but apart from that, I hadn’t given much thought to further input. We were due to elect a Chair and Vice-Chair for another year, but given that the incumbents were both able to run again, and had been effective thus far, it struck me that we would just renominate them and move on to the rest of the business.
Josephine Lea is the Vice Chair of Needham Market Town Council, and is a very well-established figure there. And, given that Needham Market is a rather more serious entity than, say Creeting St Peter, she brings a wealth of practical knowledge and pragmatism to our meetings that is highly valued. I was therefore a little surprised when she announced that she wasn’t going to restand, instead suggesting that her Vice Chair, Sheona Warnes, should take over. Sheona is the Chair of Offton and Willisham Parish Council, off to the south-west of Needham Market, although she used to be a member of Needham Market Town Council, I understand. There wasn’t any dissent, nor was there any good reason for any, so Sheona was duly elected.
That left a vacancy for Vice Chair, and I thought to myself, why not? And so, I declared my interest and found myself the sole candidate. Thus, I am the newly-elected Vice Chair of the Mid Suffolk South Area of the Suffolk Association of Local Councillors and, by extension, a member of the Board of the Suffolk Association of Local Councillors.
I’m not going to get carried away here - after all, the Board meets but twice a year and has a strategic oversight role rather than a “hands on” management one - but it allows me a deeper insight into the issues that face local councils whilst allowing me to contribute in a small way to the work of a really valuable organisation. And, interestingly, it allows me to apply my political philosophy in a non-Party political environment.
Most councils in the third tier aren’t really very political in the sense of Party labels. In the villages, most of us don’t run under a political label - like many, I’m not entirely convinced that party policy offers much steer in terms of deciding who cuts the grass on the playing field, or what commentary might be offered on a planning application. It is different on larger councils, those that provide meaningful services, for example, for there you find more political cut and thrust with serious money to be spent and managed.
However, how you interact with residents, how you communicate, the approach you take towards problems is influenced by your belief system. I’d like to think that I’m keener than some to encourage residents to do things for themselves, using the various communication tools to raise their concerns directly with appropriate bodies, rather than acting as an intermediary. That isn’t a laissez faire approach, with the Parish Council doing very little, but a collaborative approach, allowing residents to make their point in their way, rather than having it interpreted by us and then passed on. Our job is both to provide a forum for debate, as well as to summarise views and convey them in our role as statutory consultees.
So, a new role, with new responsibilities, albeit I’ll be the very junior member of the Board, but one that I’m looking forward to...
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