BBC: Councillors should undergo taxi-style "knowledge" tests

[thetapeworm]

Should councillors have to demonstrate basic literacy and numeracy skills as well as having knowledge of the area they represent? Nadeem Ahmed of the Conservative and Independent group in Wakefield thinks so.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w4z9p67lxo

BBC / Nadeem Ahmed said:

Councillors should undergo taxi-style "knowledge" tests to show their competency, an opposition leader has said.

Nadeem Ahmed, leader of the Conservative and Independent Group on Wakefield Council, said members should be tested on literacy, numeracy and their knowledge of the district, and be able to prove they are "role models" in their communities.

Ahmed said the "anonymised aggregate results" of these tests should be published to "promote transparency and public confidence" in elected representatives.

The motion is expected to be debated by Wakefield Council at a meeting on 16 July.

and...

BBC / Nadeem Ahmed said:

Ahmed said: "Private hire drivers operating in the Wakefield district are required to pass literacy, numeracy and local area knowledge assessments as part of the licensing process.

"These requirements are in place to ensure that drivers are capable of safely, clearly and competently communicating with the public, understanding essential written information and navigating the local area efficiently.

"The standards aim to protect public safety, promote professionalism and uphold the reputation of licensed services in the Wakefield area."

He said councillors held similar trusted positions which required "clear communication, sound judgement and a strong understanding of the Wakefield district".

At the present time there aren't any specific tests and only basic requirements:

https://www.local.gov.uk/be-councillor/becoming-co...

Which is much the same as for an MP:

https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/memb...

[Type R Tom]

Some seem to struggle with the basics. Some have even made a lead in an area but struggle to understand the complex nature of their portfolio or lack the intellectual capacity to get up to speed quickly.

[boyse7en]

Isn't the test the election process? If the local community thinks that a candidate is illiterate/innumerate/doesn't know the area enough then they don't vote for them. If they do vote in sufficient numbers to get them elected then they obviously think they are capable of doing the job

[JagLover]

boyse7en said:

Isn't the test the election process? If the local community thinks that a candidate is illiterate/innumerate/doesn't know the area enough then they don't vote for them. If they do vote in sufficient numbers to get them elected then they obviously think they are capable of doing the job

This mainly. It is up to the voters who they want to represent them. Some training after being elected in knowledge and requirements of role is fine, but be wary of anything that takes power away from where it belongs.

[tim0409]

I’m a former elected Councillor and I would say that out of my 22 former colleagues, only around 4/5 actually understood basic finance, which is scary given the annual budget was circa £230 million. I suspect that’s why it was one of the most indebted councils (per capita) in the country. The primary issue is that the voting public generally vote along party lines, so the “I’ve aye been Labour/SNP” is very common, and that throws up some spectacularly ill suited candidates; I knew one councillor who was a really nice guy but could barely string a sentence together, but because he knew everybody in his ward they weighed the ballot papers for him rather than counted them. Whilst he had no idea about budgets/finance, he had helped multiple generations of families over the years, so at least in that respect he was an effective local “champion”.

Council officers love councillors who don’t understand how things work as it allows them to carry on unhindered; Yes Minister was scarily accurate in that regard.

[BikeBikeBIke]

boyse7en said:

Isn't the test the election process?

This.

[sugerbear]

BikeBikeBIke said:

boyse7en said:

Isn't the test the election process?

This.

I can't remember any election process including certification that the person in question has a GCSE in English in and maths.

[Bo_apex]

tim0409 said:

Council officers love councillors who don t understand how things work as it allows them to carry on unhindered; Yes Minister was scarily accurate in that regard.

^^this^^

[BikeBikeBIke]

sugerbear said:

BikeBikeBIke said:

boyse7en said:

Isn't the test the election process?

This.

I can't remember any election process including certification that the person in question has a GCSE in English in and maths.

Eh?

[captain_cynic]

sugerbear said:

BikeBikeBIke said:

boyse7en said:

Isn't the test the election process?

This.

I can't remember any election process including certification that the person in question has a GCSE in English in and maths.

Yep, this isn't a suggestion of whether someone gets elected, it's a suggestion of having a minimum standard for candidates. Presumably they'd have to pass the test before standing, not after being elected. I'd be all for it as it would mean we'd have a minimum standard of representative, albeit, not a high one.

As Churchill once opined "the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter". The more and more I see of democracy in action, the less I'm convinced of the abilities and knowledge of the average voter.

However this would never happen as all parties have too much of a vested interest in keeping certain people in positions. So having to demonstrate some basic knowledge of an area they represent or passing a GCSE level exam would severely hurt their ability to parachute people into safe seats or keep loyal but utterly incompetent people in power.

Personally I'd go one step further, I'd have a candidate demonstrate they have some tie to the area they represent. For example, living there, having a business there or some kind of significant historical tie. It would put a dent in the practice of having someone from 16 counties away representing (or not representing, as the case often is) a constituency they couldn't care less about because everyone there will always vote for <insert colour> rosette.

[Ian Geary]

I think parachuting in popular party candidates is more of a patliament thing than local thing, but i might be wrong.

I don't disagree with the aims of this.

But in practice: whilst many moan about politicians, very few put their money (and time) where their mouth is and do anything about it.

So already "the system" self selects.

Also, back bench councillors are mainly there to make up numbers (as are back bench mps). The real power is with cabinet and leader. Qualification for those roles seems to be the ability to amass political power, favours, and leverage over the group.

It is not always the same skillet as running a multi million or even billion piund organisation.


Having said that, I've worked with councillors (and independent members) who are superb: ultra smart and tireless in the energy they bring for their residents and the council.

Note: we do provide training to councillors on financial issues if they're on the audit committee for example. I'm not sure if that is done for other committees (like planning, or the transport one etc), but I would expect it to happen.

[Pupp]

No-one should be sitting on a regulatory committee such as one considering planning or licensing applications, without undergoing relevant training. That’s been the case for years.

More generally, the need to engage in training before sitting as a councillor will just fuel apathy, which already exists in abundance.

[hidetheelephants]

Bigger issues are the crapness of FPTP and more generally the monstrous size of UK councils which means decisions are made remotely from the people they affect.

[turbobloke]

Audience - BBC should undergo taxi-style knowledge tests.

[MrBogSmith]

Very cunning trying to oust those Reform councillors.

[irc]

David Lammy would have failed the general knowledge. He though Henry VII succeeded Henry VIII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsR4Nx-ELgc