I AM proud that, following May’s Local Elections, South Gloucestershire Council boasts the most diverse membership of Councillors in its history. But with that accomplishment comes the necessary work to ensure we can maintain and support local representation that better reflects our communities.

We now have more female Councillors than ever before and more Councillors of different ethnicities. We also have more of working age and more people with young children, with aspirations to start a family, or wider caring responsibilities - something that past waves of elections have not produced. This is simply due to people being unable to meet the surprisingly demanding time commitments of the Council which, without the right support, make it tough to find balance.

As a Councillor, you are responsible for representing the residents in your ward, attending a variety of meetings, both internal and public, and potentially representing the Council on external bodies. If you then have full or part-time employment, and a new addition to the family or unexpected caring responsibilities come along, it could become too much to handle.

In order to address this very real concern, the Council’s Administration felt it was vital we looked at our policies for supporting those that require additional support under such circumstances, as it only at present caters for employees of the Council, rather than its elected members.

Some might say the existing arrangement is fair, as Councillors are given an allowance, instead of being paid, but I and many others would argue that, in order to demonstrate we are an inclusive organisation and have the best people to represent our residents and our communities, we have to make sure that any and all barriers to stand for election are removed.

Having served as the flagbearer for this progressive work, and continuing to represent her ward following the premature birth of her daughter Thea, I want to thank Cllr Rachael Hunt for helping develop this policy, which I hope will benefit many councillors for years to come and encourage many more in our area to entertain the idea of standing in elections.