The Developing Role of the Councillor in a Comparative European Context: Attitudes, Assumptions and Perceptions towards Aspects of Local Democracy

Local democracy in Europe is representative democracy and the councillor as a local representative occupies a central position in the dynamics of local politics. Councillors conduct the business of local representation, make local political decisions and act as a governor of the municipality within a range of institutional arrangements across Europe. They have been subject to constant contextual changes in the shape, nature, process, powers, roles and responsibilities of their municipalities and the office they hold within it. The workshop will explore the developing and varied roles of the councillor across Europe; examine the tensions experienced by the councillor as a representative, a decision-maker and a governor of a municipality and municipal institution; and, analyse how the shifting institutional arrangements of the municipality support or hinder councillors’ roles as a representative, a decision-maker and a governor. The workshop will examine the role perceptions councillors’ hold of their office and the assumptions, beliefs and pre-dispositions they bring to conducting the activities involved in being a representative, a decision-maker and a governor. The workshop will examine how different political, institutional and democratic arrangements and trends across Europe and the spread of new models and notions of local democracy have influenced the development of councillors’ roles.