Reflections of a new Councillor: The first three months
Councillor Catherine Fookes
Having stood before as a County Councillor and lost by a mere 24 votes, it took a while to talk myself into standing this May. But having done various training courses including the Future Candidates Programme, Labour Women’s Network training and the Fabian Women’s Mentoring programme as well as spending time encouraging women to stand via the mentoring programme led by the charity I work for, I felt I should put my money where my mouth is. A timely phone call from a friend in the local Labour party convinced me it was time to go for it and be part of the campaign to turn Monmouthshire red.
Despite knocking every single door in my ward several times, excellent support and advice from my agent, a great team of activists, and a positive feeling in the ward on election day, as the boundaries were new we really weren’t sure which way it would go. So, it was with low expectations that I went along to the Count. I turned up thinking I mustn’t get my hopes up but I’d go to support others. When we started to win seats we had never dreamt of taking we all felt elated and when I won mine I was euphoric! Several people who hadn’t come to the count had to be called to get them there for the declaration as they had won. I was incredibly proud and delighted that the hard work of the whole of the Labour team locally paid off: we won the largest number of seats for Labour since 1995 and defeated the only Tory held council in Wales.
To cap it all Monmouthshire is now one of two gender balanced councils in Wales, as in 2022 we saw the number of women councillors in Wales rise by 8% to 36% — but this is still not good enough. Welsh Labour still leads the way in terms of women councillors with the highest proportion of female councillors returned — 44% — whereas the Conservatives have only 28%. Our Leader, Mary Ann Brocklesby has also ensured we have a gender balanced Cabinet.
The first few weeks of being a Councillor passed in a whirlwind — we were celebrating of course but there was no real time to do it — there was no victory party. We needed to be sure we could form an administration, form a strong and united team of new Labour councillors: we had increased from 10 to 22 with only 4 in the group having been Councillors before. The Council induction sessions those first few weeks were very helpful: they now cater for working councillors and if sessions were held in the day they were repeated in the evenings or recorded for watching back later. The one thing I felt we needed more of was how to handle case work and I would have preferred the initial induction the very first Saturday, straight after the count as many of us had to work on Monday morning and had to hastily rearrange plans.
It’s three months to the day since the election and I have had to learn so much in this short time.
Firstly and most importantly I’ve learnt it is a huge privilege being a Councillor and I am enjoying it very much — the decisions we make can change lives for the better and that is why I wanted to stand in the first place. For example, being able to target £150 discretionary assistance payments from Welsh Government to those that are most in need was very satisfying. It’s a drop in the ocean of the Cost of Living crisis and we will need to do much more, but I am glad we’re in power to direct any support we can to the most vulnerable. I am also enjoying the wide variety of case work and supporting residents in my ward in any way I can.
Secondly, it is very hard combining work and being a Cabinet member but it is possible and it is working. Yes, I often need to work in the evenings and at weekends so I know I am very lucky to have a genuinely agile employer who takes flexi-time very seriously. All employers should be the same. I also have an understanding family and my children are now teenagers and they all know how much I have to juggle to get the balance right.
Finally, I have learnt that if I don’t know something, I know someone who does and I just need to reach out to them. Being a Cabinet member is a responsibility for a first time Councillor, but having a wide network due to the various programmes I have been on has been incredibly helpful. The Fabian Women’s network is particularly helpful in this regard. Having around 80 accomplished women on a Whatsapp group able to give advice has been crucial. Everywhere there are brilliant Councillors, friends and officers who offer their help. I have also been offered a fantastic mentor via the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) who I know will help me learn more and faster.
My advice to other women who think they may not have the time or knowledge to become a councillor is just do it! There will never be a perfect time to run. There are people who can help you, mentor you and support you. In the mean time, build your network, but the most important things you can bring to the role are lived experience, motivation for hard work and a desire to support people and solve problems.
Catherine Fookes is a Monmouthshire Councillor and Chair of the Welsh Fabians