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Elections: Local Government

Answer

The Government are taking a range of actions to increase the number and diversity of councillors. These include the following: the Communities and Local Government funds the Leadership Centre for Local Government to roll out London Councils’ "Be a Councillor" campaign across the country; BAME Women Councillors’ Taskforce was set up in 2008 to address underrepresentation of BAME women. The taskforce aims to raise awareness of the role of a councillor and to support BAME women into councillor roles through delivery of a national mentoring and shadowing scheme. The taskforce reported in October 2009, making recommendations to government, strategic partners and political parties. The Government will be responding to the report's recommendations shortly; Communities and Local Government is funding a local councillor shadowing scheme as part of the Department for Children, Schools and Families' wider Youth of Today programme. Young people work alongside councillors to learn leadership skills, have their say and make a positive difference to their local community. The scheme aims to bring young people close to understanding how decisions are made and inspire a new generation of leaders; Communities and Local Government is funding Operation Black Vote (OBV) under the Empowerment Fund. OBV will receive a total grant of £250,000 to further develop it National MP/Leadership scheme, allowing 50 individuals a unique opportunity to gain insight into the civic and political arena. The 50 shadows will be expected to work with their communities, with the hope that they would reach about 100,000 people, inspiring more BME councillors, MPs, activists and leaders in the community. The programme will run over three years; and Communities and Local Government is also funding OBV under the Tackling Race Inequalities Fund (TRIF) programme. OBV will receive £271,228 over two years until March 2011. The project will engage public sector workers, trade unionists, community leaders, councillors and students to ensure that they are more politicised and better organised, and broaden civic involvement from increasing voter registration to taking up posts as elected representatives.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

1007; 716 c275-6WA

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Candidates Women Elections Ethnic groups Local government Young people

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk