We need broader ethnic mix on council, says leader after study

A council leader has reached out to people who feel “underrepresented” after only one elected member identified themselves as from a “nonwhite” ethnic background. Of the 38 members of Bath and North East Somerset Council who answered a survey, only one said they are from a “mixed or multiple ethnic background.” The survey also showed B&NES councillors are much more likely to own their own home and have a degree than the people across the district they represent. Politics and gender The council is made up of 65 councillors in total. Across the council as a whole, there are 36 Conservatives, 17 Liberal Democrats, six Labour members, five independents and one Green Party representative. There are 21 women and 44 men. In the wider population, women make up 51 per cent of the population. Property More than half of the 37 councillors who responded to the survey said they owned their homes outright, with 24 per cent renting and 21 per cent paying off a mortgage. In the 2011 census, 35 per cent of residents owned their properties outright, 31 per cent were paying off a mortgage and most others were renting. Six of the councillors had lived in the area for their whole lives. Nine said they had been here for 40 years or more, nine for 30 years or fewer and three for 20 years or fewer. The other 10 had been in Bath and North East Somerset for under 15 years. Education The councillors are an educated bunch. Two-thirds of them (25 councillors) were educated to degree level or above - double the proportion in the wider population of Bath and North East Somerset, according to figures from the last census. Seven of the councillors went on to attain a masters and one reached doctorate level. Two people left college with A-levels or equivalent, nine finished education after achieving GCSES or O-levels and two left without any formal qualifications. Pay Including their council salary and pension, a quarter of the councillors took home between £10,000 and £20,000 in 2017/18. A third of them earned more than £50,000. None of them earned more than £90,000. The average wage in Bath and North East Somerset is around £29,000. Ages The results showed that 15 of the councillors were aged over 65, with three of them aged 75 to 84. The biggest age category was 55 to 64, with 14 respondents. There were two councillors in the 18 to 24 age group, around three per cent, but 15 to 24-year-olds made up 17 per cent of the population of Bath and North East Somerset at the time of the last census. Outside of the council, 45 per cent were in employment, two were unemployed but looking for work, three were not looking for work and one was disabled and unable to work. Mirroring the age demographic, 15 of the councillors were retired. Religion More than a third of the councillors (34 per cent) said they had no religion, reflecting the figure in the 2011 census. Some 29 per cent identified as Christians, 21 per cent as Protestants and 13 per cent as Catholics. Respondents were able to tick more than one box. The last census recorded 56 per cent of residents as Christian. Among the councillors there was one Buddhist, two councillors were interdenominational or non-denominational and one selected “other”. Ethnicity In the wider population, 90 per cent of the population was recorded as “white British” in the 2011 census. Among the councillors, 37 said they came from a white background. One said he/she came from “any other mixed or multiple ethnic background”.