Awareness, engagement and representation on community and town councils: call for evidence

The work of the Democratic Health Task and Finish Group for community and town councils

Community and town councils are democratically elected and operate at the most local level of democracy. Following the analysis of May 2022’s community and town council elections, the data raised concerns around the level of engagement between communities and their councils. 

The Minister for Finance and Local Government established a Democratic Health Task and Finish Group. The Group will report to the Minister in 2024, and will provide options for actions for community and town councils, sector representative bodies and government to:

• improving awareness and engagement between communities and their community councils
• increasing the number, and diversity, of candidates standing for election to community and town councils

The Democratic Health Task and Finish Group are seeking evidence particularly from:

• members of the public who feel less represented within their communities
• residents who live in a community that has a community or town council
• members of the public who are, or were, involved in community and town councils activities
• members of the public who have never been involved with community and town councils, and their activities
• third sector organisations working in communities across Wales
• current and past community and town councillors
• principal councils and other organisations and stakeholders that work in communities across Wales

The Democratic Health Task and Finish Group will use this, and other, evidence to develop a series of additional conversations to explore some key themes.

If you would like to take part in these additional conversations, you have the opportunity to register your interest as part of the information requested in the survey.

The survey and additional conversations will help the Group to prepare its report and consider options for actions to put forward to the Minister.

Principal Councils

What is your role on the Principal Council?

How much, if at all, would you say you know about community or town councils?

Have you engaged with a community or town council? 

Do you want to stand, or have you ever stood, as a Councillor on a community or town council?

If you are willing to participate in focus groups to explore themes from the survey findings, please provide your contact details below

What is your age group?

What was your sex assigned/registered at birth? 

What is your gender identity? 

In which Local Authority area are you based?

What is your ethnic group?

Community or Town Council

What is your role on the community or town council?

As a community or town councillor, would you stand for election at the next Local Government Elections?

Have you engaged with your Principal Council?

If you are willing to participate in focus groups to explore themes from the survey findings, please provide your contact details below:

What is your age group?

What was your sex assigned/registered at birth? 

What is your gender identity? 

In which Local Authority area are you based?

What is your ethnic group?

Members of the public and Third Sector

Are you aware of your local Community or Town Council?

Please list up to three things that you think a community or town council does

Have you had any contact with your community or town council in the past 12 months, for example, community activities or events; council meetings (including co-option to a group), contacting a councillor?

How interested are you, if at all, in becoming involved in the work done by your community or town council? 

Do you want to stand, or have you ever stood, as a Councillor on a community or town council? 

How interested are you, if at all, in becoming involved in your local community through voluntary work?

If you are willing to participate in focus groups to explore themes from the survey findings, please provide your contact details below:

What is your age group?

What was your sex assigned/registered at birth? 

What is your gender identity? 

In which Local Authority area are you based?

What is your ethnic group?

Submit your comments by 27 November 2023, in any of the following ways:

• complete our online form
• download, complete our response form and email LGPolicy.correspondence@gov.wales
• download, complete our response form and post to:

Local Government Policy
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Under the data protection legislation, you have the right:

• to be informed of the personal data held about you and to access it
• to require us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing
• for (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’
• to (in certain circumstances) data portability
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

Responses to consultations are likely to be made public, on the internet or in a report. If you would prefer your response to remain anonymous, please tell us. 

For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the GDPR, please see contact details below:

Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

E-mail: data.protectionofficer@gov.wales

Information Commissioner’s Office

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113

Website: ico.org.uk

UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

The Welsh Government will be data controller for any personal data you provide as part of your response to the consultation. Welsh Ministers have statutory powers they will rely on to process this personal data which will enable them to make informed decisions about how they exercise their public functions. Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about or planning future consultations. Where the Welsh Government undertakes further analysis of consultation responses then this work may be commissioned to be carried out by an accredited third party (e.g. a research organisation or a consultancy company). Any such work will only be undertaken under contract. Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions for such contracts set out strict requirements for the processing and safekeeping of personal data. In order to show that the consultation was carried out properly, the Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then redact them before publishing.

You should also be aware of our responsibilities under Freedom of Information legislation. If your details are published as part of the consultation response then these published reports will be retained indefinitely. Any of your data held otherwise by Welsh Government will be kept for no more than three years.