To wonder if the majority of new councillors realise what they have signed up for?

[Bobbingtons]

After the local elections and the huge shift to reform I do wonder if the majority of newly elected counselors actually realise what they have signed up for.
Bring a counsellor is not an easy task and on average the commitment is around 22 hours a week. The job involves reading reports, helping constituents, sitting on committees and running a large complex organisation with hundreds of departments, it's not just a case of having a title, but having a whole extra job.
We saw in Kent when reform took over it fell into chaos and bickering. I know a number of reform candidates were experienced political operators, but with so many newly elected I do worry they haven't as actually considered what happens next and how much work is actually involved.
I'm highly politically motivated and have thought about standing in the past, but realised that the commitment is far too much for me to handle!

I’m looking forward to Reform councillors spiralling and self destructing tbh. The answer is no they have no idea what they signed up for.

And add being trashed and trolled on social media to the list. Being targetted by vexatious, nasty people. Well meaning people who want to do good for their community do it but I could think of nothing worse. It’s practically impossible to do with a full time job.

And are they competent?

I’m in Worcestershire (Reform run 😡) and I’d say probably not if the shit show we have suffered here for the last year is an indicator!

A lot of councillors simply don't do this and sit on their arse. Others think they have a lot more power than they do and have a rude awakening that they are actually a lot more limited in what they can do. And then there's the fact you have to get on with people to achieve anything rather than exploding and stomping out after a row.

It will be interesting to see unfold.

I look forward to visiting these new councillors in their surgeries and finding out their plans for local policy benefiting the residents. I expect them to be accessible and accountable and will be making sure they are.

I was called a Karen and a fucking idiot when I said that on my local community page. Before anyone thinks I'm vexatious, I was in regular contact with the previous councillors and I know that they worked hard.

The local reform one looked like a deer in the headlights. I can't imagine he's ever been involved in community events or paid attention to his own estate before. Doubt he can even use the council website to report flytipping.

I've been a councillor whilst working full time and it was incredibly tough. It was fascinating and rewarding (at times) but between work and council stuff I'd often be out from 8am until after 10pm. It isn't just the meetings, it's the community groups, the casework, the mandated party stuff, reading reports, writing leaflets, having your phone number published (I didn't publish my address), and having to make truely awful decisions. Essential work, but not the joyride some people believe.

Farage is all surface and soundbites and won't have a proper vetting process.

It's the Council staff that will have to try and work with these muppets I feel sorry for!

Same. Our Labour councillors worked hard for many years to improve the area. Snatched away in an instant by Reform zealots who didn’t even recognise the difference between a councillor and MP.

I’ve been wondering about this. We’ve got local councillors here who’ve worked very hard for years. It’s a real service and I don’t think many of the new ones will be prepared for the amount of work involved.

I was thinking that.

“I stood to stop the boats!” “Well Brian, your remit is potholes and litter picks, on you go”

It's certainly going to be interesting.

It really should be a requirement of standing that you have had some training about the job.

It's not just Reform, there's the Greens who seem to think Gaza is on the local Council agenda somehow. Gonna be disappointed at the Children and Young People scrutiny committee or the Planning meetings

The Green councillors on our LA are the hardest working of the lot, top the attendance records and do more casework in their wards

Ds got elected yesterday, he has his induction day next week & after the council AGM the week after where he will get given his council laptop, phone & email will find out which committee he will be working on. He has been doing casework as a candidate, things like helping someone who was homeless with children after fleeing domestic violence get emergency accommodation, notifying bus passengers that a bus route was closed & where the buses were stopping on the diversion or getting a pavement made safe after a resident had ended up falling & suffering a broken arm after a sub standard repair leaving paving stuck up & a trip hazard. He has been campaigning every weekend & in the evenings. Most councillors also have a full time job as well as being councillors, committee meetings are held in the evenings.

Good luck to them all! I mean that genuinely, whatever their political complexion. If they are willing to knuckle down and actually do the work of local government then that’s good enough for me…

I am happy to stick to being a charity trustee: it can be stressful, thankless and there’s no financial recompense whatsoever, but it’s still strangely rewarding.

https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/search/opportunities

I’d love to hear more from constituents in Reform run council areas … would be interested in your experiences

I'm one. The council tax hasn't gone up as much as it usually does and the pot holes are getting repaired. Can't say I've noticed that much apart from those things. They did manage to stop more migrants being located here as it's a very deprived area and it was placing an unmanageable burden on the places they were living in. Saying that there was a knife attack against mothers and children the other week in a nearby village. The locals managed to thwart it before the police arrived and hauled him off. We're not used to this kind of thing happening so the locals weren't happy.

There is an unusually high rate of attrition amongst Reform counsellors. For various reasons.

Most of them aren't up to the job because they're inexperienced and poorly educated.

My council has no overall majority so I’m expecting an interesting time ahead. Not just from reform but also the greens who are going to find out being a councillor in England does not mean they can influence anything in Palestine or Israel.

Tice declines to condemn councillor’s ‘Nigerians should be melted down to fill pot holes’ remark | ITV News https://share.google/OjEJeF6BPJ1qYG97X

Reform have messed up already it seems. That didn't take long 🙄

(apologies for the racist content of the news report)