Councillors retain title and role throughout election period

YES, I should have known better.

Down the years, I have made a virtue out of ‘trying’ not to argue with councillors.

But, every now and again, I trip up.

Regular readers will appreciate that three weeks ago I took some time to explain the pre-election period known as “purdah” – a politically incorrect term, but one that is, nevertheless, still in common use.

The word was stolen from the Muslim and Hindu practice of screening women from strangers and has been misappropriated to refer to the rules of proper conduct which apply before an election. May 5 will see the local elections for our county and community councils.

In my excitement for the forthcoming display of local democracy in action, I suggested that during the election purdah period councillors revert to being plain Mr, Mrs or Ms (or whatever title they choose for themselves). In short, they go back to being “candidates” rather than “councillors”.

The very wise Councillor Peter Black CBE, as a former Welsh Assembly member, Lord Mayor of Swansea, and chair of the city council’s Scrutiny Programme Committee, was very quick to put me right.

The ink on your Evening Post was barely dry before the Liberal Democrat member for Cwmbwrla wrote to me as follows:

“It is not correct to say that councillors cease to be able to exercise that role or hold that title during the election period. In fact, they retain their title and role throughout. There is even a planning committee meeting after the official start of the campaign.

“The rest of the article is correct – though there is a much wider discussion to be had on what purdah is in relation to local councils and whether the term has the same meaning as when applied to national government.”

Recognising an important gap in my knowledge, I sought further advice from one of my colleagues who works for the Local Democracy Reporting service.

They explained: “Next month voters take to the polls to choose their local county and town or community councillors and that’s why council meetings have quietened down. We are now in the pre-election ‘purdah’ period where political decisions and discussions at council offices are constrained until after the election.

“Political decisions will be postponed so that no candidates – of any party or affiliation – gains an advantage or is put at a disadvantage before campaigning begins in earnest.

“Normal council business CAN continue, including determining planning or licensing applications – and responses to correct misleading, controversial or extreme information can be issued.

“The official ruling is that between now and the polls closing at 10pm on May 5, councils cannot make any decisions which could influence or prejudice the outcome of either their own elections or others taking place at the same time.

“This stops the announcement of any new spending, launching new strategies or publishing any form of new policy that had not been agreed before the purdah period began.

“The guidance amounts to if a “reasonable” person could conclude that public money was being spent to influence the outcome of the election through a given action, then a council cannot do said action.”

Here endeth the local democracy lesson for today.