Local Councillors: Recruitment, Retention and Well-being

Baroness Goudie Excerpts

Thursday 4th June 2026 Grand Committee

[Baroness Goudie (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Forbes for ensuring that we have this very important debate, at a time when so many councillors are seriously at risk. I am sorry to say that not many police forces really understand what is happening, particularly to women.

I will address a subject that both speaks directly to my own political beginnings and represents the core of our democracy. In the 1970s, I began my own public career in local government, as the youngest woman elected for the London Borough of Brent. During my years on the council, we worked to advance the important campaign for a housing aid centre and a law centre, and we founded a housing association for the borough. That opportunity changed the course of my career and my life and taught me that local councils are not the places to administer, as they are often perceived to be, but where we learn how to serve our communities and improve the daily lives of the families in them. As it was for many other women and me, as well as other people generally underrepresented in public life, the local council was the first door to go to.

At that time, local councillors were respected. That is no longer the case today. This has been brought about by awful people who hide away behind social media, letters and so on. It is a disgrace. That is why this issue matters so deeply and why everyone in government, no matter their party affiliation, has an interest in ensuring that becoming a councillor remains an appealing and possible career choice for capable, diverse and public-oriented people. If abuse and intimidation make that career path seem unsafe, we will lose good councillors before they even consider standing for election. We know that through various networks, as my noble friend Lady Royall said.

The Local Government Association’s 2025 survey found that almost three-quarters of councillors—73%—reported feeling personally at risk in the previous 12 months. A quarter had experienced a threat of violence or death against themselves or someone close to them. These are not the minor discomforts of public life; they are serious and harmful, affecting well-being, family life and the capacity of elected representatives to do their jobs.

I particularly want to address the impact on women. The same survey found that 84% of women councillors reported being personally at risk, compared to 73% overall. Women are most likely to report abuse and intimidation, and the figure of 78% should concern every part of the Chamber. If women are driven away from local politics, local government, the vehicle through which we carry on many fundamental services, becomes less representative.