In Defence of Councillors, the book which does what it says on the cover, is out paperback and there is no better time to defend our councillors and the office they hold. Politicians, at all levels, receive a bad press, which generates a poor public image of them and their work as representatives, governors and decision-makers.
Sometimes that bad press is a self-inflicted wound: expenses scandals; lobbying or being lobbied; breaching COVID restrictions others must respect and of course the big question: when is a party a work meeting?
While MPs come in for a fair amount of stick when things go wrong, In Defence of Councillors shows that for councillors the continual degrading of their office through negative reporting, a poor public image and constant suspicion about their motives, sagacity, ability, integrity and behaviour is not only an inaccurate broad generalisation but damaging to local democracy and government.
