A report exploring the experiences and attitudes of councillors who stood down at the May 2007 elections has been published by the Improvement Service.
Learning from experience: Results of a survey of Scottish elected members who stood down in 2007 explores the councillors' reasons for standing down; key changes that have shaped local government; what local government will look like in the future; supports and barriers to being an effective councillor; experiences of training and development; advice for councillors elected for the first time in 2007.
Among the key findings are:
- Retirement or age was the most frequently mentioned reason for standing down.
- Multi-member wards and the move to STV were important secondary factors influencing people's decisions to stand down from office.
- Forty per cent of respondents identified the move to unitary councils in 1996 as the most significant change to local government during their time in office.
- A high percentage of respondents viewed reduction in central government funding (73%), move to STV voting system (73%) and the introduction of multi-member wards (69%) as very significant for the future of local government.
- Financial constraints was by far the most commonly selected factor which prevented respondents from being as effective as they would have liked in their role as a councillor.
- If somebody asked for advice on whether to stand for election as a local councillor, over two-third of respondents (69%) said they would recommend standing.
The information gathered in the report will be used by COSLA and the Improvement Service to inform policy development and the support offered to councillors in the future.
Related documents
Learning from experience: Results of a survey of Scottish elected members who stood down in 2007
