Development Department Research Programme Research Findings No. 87Motivations to Public Service
Sue Granville and Andra Laird
George Street Research Limited
The Renewing Local Democracy Working Group was established to consider a number of issues. A key element of its remit was to consider ways in which council membership can be made attractive to a wider cross-section of the community. To assist their deliberations, research was commissioned on motivations to public service drawing on the views of the general public, councillors, former councillors and individuals participating in a range of public capacities. |
Main Findings
- Amongst the general public, there was a distinct lack of knowledge and awareness of what councillors actually do and what the role of a councillor is.
- It was considered unlikely that anyone in full-time employment could do the job of a councillor because of time constraints and a lack of flexibility in the typical working day. The long hours were felt to make certain sections of the community ineligible, particularly women because of competing family commitments. It was considered that many younger people would not be interested or have the necessary experience and skills to become an effective local councillor. The electoral process was considered daunting and many research participants discounted themselves on grounds that they lacked political allegiance.
- For the majority of those participating in some form of public service, involvement was predicated on relevance and/or specific interest. In contrast, the role of the councillor was perceived to be wide-ranging and multi-dimensional and not merely further along the 'public service spectrum.'
- The majority of councillors cited a strong desire to do good in the community as their prime motivating factor. Support and advice from political parties in the process of becoming a councillor was also deemed important. Elected members commented on the heavy time demands of council work.
- A number of contributory factors were cited by former councillors including: decreasing opportunities to make a difference; lack of privacy; negative public perceptions and media coverage; and the long hours which gave rise to difficulties in juggling home, work and council responsibilities.
Introduction
The Scottish Executive established the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group (RLDWG) to take forward a number of inter-related recommendations from the report of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament. A key element of its remit was to consider ways in which council membership can be made attractive to a wider cross-section of the community. To support their deliberations, the RLDWG requested research on motivations to public service. In particular, interest centred on:
- the attitude of the general public: has consideration ever been given to becoming a councillor or participating in some form of public service, what factors attract or deter people from participation?
- the motivations of people serving in public capacities such as tenants associations and charitable organisations: what factors led them to participate, would they be interested in becoming a councillor; what would attract or deter them?
- the motivations of existing councillors;
- factors which lead some councillors to terminate their participation.
Research Methods
The research objectives required access to the views of the general public, councillors, former councillors and individuals serving in a range of public capacities. Given the exploratory nature of the research, a qualitative approach was adopted, using a combination of focus groups and one-to-one depth interviews.
Six focus groups were convened with the general public and three with individuals serving in public capacities. In the latter case, participants had been involved in a wide range of organisations including voluntary, charitable, church and leisure organisations, health and school boards, and tenants associations. Effort was made to ensure broad representation within focus groups in terms of age, gender, socio-economic background and employment activity.
Fifteen depth interviews were undertaken with existing councillors and six with former councillors. Participants covered the spectrum of political parties and Independents. They were recruited from urban, rural and intermediate authorities.
Key Findings from Focus Groups
Amongst the general public, there was a distinct lack of knowledge and awareness of what councillors do. There was a widespread perception that councillors spend a lot of time attending meetings. Fewer respondents were able to cite examples of the sort of contact councillors might have with their constituents or the range of problems which a councillor might have to deal with.
For the small number of respondents more knowledgeable about local government, the role was perceived to be thankless and associated with a lot of hard work and problems. The impact of the significant time commitment on family life and other personal interests was considered to be excessive, particularly for those with young children. Indeed, some respondents questioned why anyone would want to take on what was perceived to be an unrewarding role.
There was a broad consensus among focus group participants that becoming a councillor would only appeal to certain types of people. When asked to define the likely attributes of councillors, respondents cited factors such as retired or semi-retired, those with flexibility in their working day and people from a professional background.
Focus group participants commented that it was unlikely that anyone in full-time employment could do the job of a councillor because of time constraints and a lack of flexibility in their working day. The long hours were felt to make certain sections of the community ineligible, particularly women because of competing family commitments. It was considered that many younger people would not be interested or have the necessary experience and skills to become an effective local councillor.
In terms of participating in any form of public service, life-stage was cited as an important factor. A number of respondents commented on the need to possess specific skills which often develop naturally with experience and maturity. In the absence of training and induction programmes, younger people were considered unlikely to be suited to public service roles.
Focus group members closely associated councillors with party politics and assumed that councillors or those standing for election held political beliefs which coincided with the political party they represented. Many participants therefore discounted themselves on grounds that they lacked political allegiance. It was also anticipated that there would be pressure to put party politics before community interest and participants were uncomfortable at this prospect. There was some acknowledgement of the scope to stand as an Independent, particularly in rural areas, but in general, party politics was frequently cited as a barrier to involvement.
Most research participants were conscious of the need to be elected as a councillor. Although this was also the case for some public service roles, the election was often a formality; a simple matter of being proposed and nominated. Respondents were doubtful about most people's willingness to submit to a contested election of the type usually necessary to become a councillor, particularly citing the need to canvass support from an unknown voter base and possible rejection as negative dimensions. Overall, the electoral process was regarded as daunting.
In terms of what motivates councillors, some focus group members felt that it was the first step in career politics and cited councillors who had recently become MSPs. There were a minority of respondents who assumed self-interest and made reference to 'jobs for the boys' and expensive trips abroad. Further probing revealed that negative perceptions were rarely based on factual information but rather relied on anecdote. Those with little knowledge of the role and responsibilities of councillors were more likely to have a negative image of councillors.
There was a general feeling that the media were unnecessarily negative towards councillors and indeed councils.
Most focus group members were not attracted to becoming a councillor. The limited interest that was detected stemmed from perceived ineffectiveness on the part of the sitting councillor.
Findings Specific to Individuals Serving in a Public Capacity
The majority of those participating in some form of public service did so out of personal interest. This was often related to their children; for example, becoming a school board member, taking scouts or helping with the swimming team. Involvement was therefore naturally time limited and usually ceased when the children grew up or moved onto a different activity but occasionally, participation continued.
In general, involvement was predicated on relevance and/or specific interest to participants. The point is of significance because the role of councillor was perceived to be wide-ranging and multi-dimensional and therefore those serving in public capacities saw the role of the councillor as fundamentally different and not merely further along the 'public service spectrum.' Additionally, participants felt that they had the required skills to undertake their various roles but were more doubtful about their capabilities in relation to being a councillor. This may however, reflect the limited knowledge which they had on what elected members actually do.
Often becoming involved in organisations was prompted by a personal approach and having got involved in one organisation this sometimes led to participation in a number of other groups. Being directly approached was associated with more support and advice being available to undertake new roles.
All respondents described their involvement in public service as time consuming, requiring a heavy commitment and a level of support and understanding from their families.
The Councillor Perspective
The majority of councillors reported a strong desire to do good in the community as their prime motivation. However, there were one or two respondents who admitted being attracted by the power and status associated with being a councillor. This was most apparent amongst those who were part of the ruling group and held senior positions within committees.
Whilst no councillors or indeed ex-councillors, claimed to have been furthering a career in politics, the majority claimed to be aware of individuals who had, particularly in city locations. Political careerism was cited as a characteristic of those moving into local politics at a young age. A small number of research participants reported a family tradition of involvement within local government.
All interviewed councillors indicated that money was not a motivating factor in their decision to become an elected member and it was proposed that if it were, there would be a distinct shortage of councillors. There was a general consensus that the basic allowance for councillors was relatively low, particularly given the amount of time spent on council work.
Councillors spoke of their dual role in representing their constituents and participating in the work, policies and decisions of the councils. For some, the duty to their constituents was perceived to be of paramount importance and a very minor role was attributed to party politics. For others, when faced with a conflict between party politics and local issues, priority would be placed on the former. The significance of party politics therefore varied and was partly determined by whether or not the party was in administration. Those giving priority to politics covered the spectrum of political parties.
The importance of party politics was partly determined by whether councillors had been previously active within a political party. In instances where an individual had become a local councillor with extensive support from their local party, politics was given higher priority. In contrast, there were councillors, mainly in rural areas, who had been approached by a party and asked if they would be prepared to stand. These councillors reported little or no interest in party politics and often indicated that there was a specific understanding that constituent interests would dominate.
A number of respondents referred to the support and advice provided by a political party as significant in the process of becoming a councillor. On-going support from the party was also deemed important.
All councillors commented on the amount of time spent on council work. Aside from committee meetings and dealing with constituents' enquiries, most councillors also had a number of additional responsibilities such as attending community councils and school boards.
It is not surprising given the time demands of being an elected member that most councillors interviewed as part of this research were either self-employed, had extremely flexible working patterns, were in receipt of a private income, or were retired. Furthermore they indicated that most councillors tended to fall into these categories and that those who are in full-time employment are not able to take on as many commitments as other councillors.
A number of councillors commented spontaneously on the need to attract a broader cross-section of individuals to local councils, most frequently citing a need for representatives from the business community and/or greater numbers of female councillors
The Views of Ex-Councillors
Interviews with former councillors revealed many reasons for discontinued involvement. Difficulties in juggling home, work and council duties were referenced as were the long hours and hard work needed to do the job effectively. For many, the impact on their home lives was felt to be too high a price to pay.
There was a feeling that opportunities to make a difference were decreasing. Some former councillors cited limitations on their ability to influence decision-making at local and community level as reducing their interest in the job. There was some disillusionment at the perceived limited impact they could bring to bear for the benefit of constituents. A number of ex-councillors reported feeling 'stale and bored' and some felt it appropriate to make way for 'new blood' and enthusiasm. This led some to suggest that there should be a limit to the length of time councillors serve to ensure a continual influx of new members. However, this was not consistent with their perception that maturity and experience are important attributes for councillors and their acknowledgement of difficulties in interesting people in the role.
Some former councillors felt that the role of elected members was becoming increasingly political. For those with little interest in party politics, this was a serious deterrent to continued council involvement.
Research participants also referred to lack of privacy, some indicating that their constituents regarded them as public property and that they should be available twenty four hours a day.
Other Findings Emerging from Interviews
Almost without exception, all councillors and ex-councillors participating in this study referred to negative public perceptions and negative media coverage. They were conscious that many of the public perceived them to be self serving, 'earning money for old rope' or that they are doing the job for the money. Whilst it was acknowledged that this image was premised on a lack of awareness about what they did and was often shaped by the media, the negativity was certainly a factor in diminishing the desire to continue being a councillor.
Whilst the general public and those serving in a public capacity perceive the election process to be daunting, most councillors and former members claim to have enjoyed the process describing it as challenging and exciting and invoking a sense of camaraderie. This may of course be tempered by their electoral success.
Conclusion
This research has revealed a wide range of factors relevant to consideration of widening council membership. The findings have been fed into the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group to support their deliberations.
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