Two Questions
Vital for a council's success
I joked with a colleague yesterday at our planning meeting about listening. We reflected on the this scenario:
If you could only make one phone call a day from prison, and needed to share vital information, you would want to choose a listener, not someone who would talk over you.
I asked my colleague who he would choose and he jokingly said, “I choose you!”
I know it was a frivolous conversation, but left me thinking about myself as a listener.
My other half would probably say that at home, I am not a good listener, but then neither is he :). But in my councillor role, I know that I am. I do not speak for the sake of speaking and I like to have a full picture before I consider even raising my hand in a meeting.
I feel I am better at my job if I watch people, understand decision-makers and their processes, and hear what and how they are communication.
My philosophy is that any issue is not about what’s on the table, but about the people around it.
Listening is a skill I learned while tour guiding in Europe and the Balkans. I spent many hours alone in cafes, hotel lobbies and restaurants while my guests explored remarkable places. I sometimes read a book, but most of the time I simply watched and listened.
I have a richer soul because of it.
In every council meeting I watch and listen. And as I have got more involved and gained a deeper understanding of local government, I have found myself asking two questions.
I sometimes ask them aloud, and sometimes I reflect on them while driving home.
Question One
Is this decision for the benefit of the residents and tax payers? Or for the benefit of the council?
I worked for a travel company that had a mantra of: ‘Always serve those who are serving our customers’.
I get it! When we have processes and systems that look after the officers, the residents will benefit too. But far too often there is much about the council and little about the residents we are serving.
Residents are the reason we are there, and it is the residents who pay council officer wages and councillors’ expenses.
Solution: In every meeting,report and decision remind ourselves to explore, examine and consider how this would benefit our community.
Question Two
How is this being communicated to the residents?
Whenever there is a news item about delayed flights, anywhere in the world, the biggest gripe is that the airline staff had not communicated with the delayed passengers. It seems daft that no one even thinks to come out and explain to those waiting, what’s going on. And the issue gets worse and worse. Yet, people are more likely to understand the problems and reasons if they weren’t ‘left in the dark’. They may still not be happy, but at least they know!
Same for local government. There is a lot of council-speak, wordy documents, legal language and confusing table and statistics. I still get lost in the complexities of it all and I have been in the system for 3 years.
I can only imagine how difficult it is to unravel if you are a tax payer and resident.
Solution: With every decision, the council and councillors, consider how this will be conveyed in normal-speak so that the residents know exactly how their council is making decisions and spending their money.
2026 is going to be a tough year at, and for, Somerset Council. The Liberal Democrat administration WILL put our council tax up, and we will see less for our money.
As a low tax Conservative, this is infuriating. There is little we, as an opposition, can do, except to remind our colleagues on all sides to keep our residents in mind in everything we do, and communicate with clarity.