Welsh Government urged to improve diversity in local politics
Report finds town and community councils still not representative of the population
The Welsh Government is being urged to do more to encourage greater diversity in local government, according to a Senedd Committee.
The Local Government and Housing Committee’s latest inquiry found that town and community councils and local authorities were still not representative of the population.
Despite some recent improvements, there continues to be an under representation of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
A key recommendation of the report was that the Welsh Government should consider how more people from under-represented groups could benefit from assistance to put themselves forward for election.
The Committee welcomes the Welsh Government’s commitment to its Access to Elected Office Fund, but believes more needs to be done to raise awareness of its existence.
John Griffiths MS, Chair of the Local Government and Housing Committee, said, “Today’s report raises important questions about our democracy and whether it is representative of everyone who lives in Wales. Unfortunately, it’s clear that there remains much more work to be done to ensure that local government represents people from all backgrounds.
“An assistance scheme to support people who are under-represented in politics needs to be a Welsh Government priority if we are serious about improving the diversity of our local representatives. I’m pleased to see provision for this in the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill, which we will be scrutinising over the next few months."
The Committee heard from Electoral Reform Society Cymru that the proportion of female councillors had increased from 28 per cent in 2017 to 36 per cent in 2022 but that this was a “really slow rate of progress”.
The report finding have been released as a women's 'Takeover of the Senedd' is held in Cardiff today.
The event, entitled 'We Belong Here' aims to inspire more women to enter politics and public life.
Among the speakers are women’s rights activist Helen Pankhurst, Osha Daley from the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed and Davina Green, Director of Stonewall Cymru.