So, how are you finding life as a councillor on Bradford Council?

Ilkley's first-ever Green Party district councillor reflects on her first six months ...

It’s 2 May 2024. The election count for the Ilkley Ward. I see the numbers on a printout. I’ve been here before with the results looking too close to call as we head into the small consulting room, only to lose by a margin and return home knowing my family’s sacrifices and the counting of newsletters, surveys and calling cards for others to deliver has not been enough. So we start again … and go again … and again.

We’ve always been a small local group, funding and running our own campaigns, never giving up and gradually earning people’s trust. You can see this in the numbers. In 2018, I got 671 votes. In 2024, it was 2,414. The culmination of years of hard work – reaching out, listening to and serving residents faithfully – looks like it’s paid off. But I can’t take any chances.

“Please tell me clearly that I’ve won,” I say.

“Yes,” responds the acting returning officer. “You have won.”

And so, with her unequivocal verbal confirmation, I was finally able to start the job I’d been working towards for years – I could now represent Ilkley as one of its three district councillors. I was as delighted as the many residents who contacted me to celebrate and those who came up to me in shops excited that we’d finally done it: given residents an alternative voice to the Conservatives, both big and small ‘c’, who have held sway for so long in Ilkley.

I’m also pleased for the children and young people I know who are concerned about the state of the world they’ve inherited: the climate, biodiversity and cost of living crises, exam factory education and the toxicity of social media that casts them in a negative light.

And I think, at last, we can start to tell a different story locally.

I didn’t start my journey of community engagement as a member of a political party – I started it as a resident whose views were often not represented by independent or Conservative councillors.

This was especially so in the area of road safety. As a mum, I cycled around town with our children on the back of my bike and my husband and I watched as they grew too big to cycle independently on paths shared with pedestrians in the park. However, when they switched to cycling on the roads around town, it became clear how vulnerable their bodies were, too small to be seen easily by drivers travelling upwards of 30mph. 

Since 2013 when our eldest child started school, I’ve spent time working towards safer roads for children’s active travel and more vulnerable road users – and I’m proud of what has been achieved with the introduction of the 20mph speed limits across Ilkley and the necessary self-enforcing traffic calming.

When residents stop me in the street to thank me that their families can now cycle more safely around town or that visually impaired or elderly people now have more time to cross the road, I feel a sense of satisfaction that I’ve contributed to a safer and more inclusive community. 

I joined the Green Party in 2014 to work with others who care about grassroots democracy all year round (not just turning up at election time), protecting the environment, delivering social justice and pursuing peace. By exercising our democratic right to do things differently and prioritising different people’s concerns, we are making Ilkley a fairer and better place to live and work.

Six months on from the local elections the question I’m often asked by residents is, “So how are you finding life on Bradford Council?” My usual reply, which is met with intrigue, laughter and a quizzical look, is “I love it … it’s like someone has opened the cage door”.

What I mean by this is that I’m enjoying the freedom that being a ward councillor brings. For instance, when I was an Ilkley Town councillor, a role that I loved, I found the processes were often convoluted. For example, reaching out to engage with residents, or responding to their concerns, often had to go through committees and full council meetings, which could slow the speed of engagement or response for individual residents.

In contrast, as a ward councillor, a resident can get in touch with me and I can directly respond to their queries or concerns by contacting Bradford Council officers, some of whom are able to resolve issues quickly. That’s not always the case, mind. The resolution of some issues remains to be seen and are often undermined by inadequate budgets for planning, enforcement and street cleaning, which can be a huge source of frustration for residents, councillors and officers alike.

Another question I’m often asked sheds further light on my experience: “What’s Bradford Council like?” To me, Bradford Council is like an iceberg. It’s of critical importance to our public life and services, but the ideologically motivated underfunding of local authorities by Conservative governments over many years means it’s very vulnerable – and, in turn, those who depend on it are not served as well as they could be.

It can lurch, fragment and become diminished in such choppy financial waters, exacerbated by poor decision-making, but it also holds strong through the dedicated efforts of many. The new Labour government has made a start on addressing the financial damage done by the Conservatives but multi-year funding settlements are needed urgently. This would provide Bradford Council with the stability it needs to plan effectively and invest in preventative measures that save money and benefit residents and the district as a whole.

On this “iceberg” I get to meet excellent officers who are responsive, effective and always ready to work in partnership with local communities. But I now see that too many of them are overloaded with work because of cuts to departments and resources, which means they can’t serve people as effectively as they want to.

I also get to meet skilled and hard-working councillors who are committed to their communities – and it’s inspiring. I regularly make an effort to thank those who go above and beyond to make things work for people because it’s not easy – Bradford Council can, at times, be shambolic and complacent, providing poor value for public money. And officers and councillors could also be doing more to move away from a culture where things are done to people and not with them.

In the Green Party, we set our agenda in response to local concerns. We’re open to working collaboratively and effectively with everyone and I actively seek to work with our town and ward councillors where possible.

I also attend Ilkley Town Council meetings each month to provide updates and engage with the council’s work. Because our party has no “whipping” system like other parties, I am, as an Ilkley councillor, free to agree or disagree with Green Party councillors, councillors from other parties and independent councillors across the district to do what’s best for our respective wards. This is a strength of our independence as individual Green Party councillors and collectively as a political group on Bradford Council.

On a weekly basis I meet with officers and work to address residents’ concerns, such as saving Ilkley Pool and Lido from closure, opposing the introduction of – and increases in – parking charges, and restoring the household waste recycling facility. Dealing with delays in blue badge processing, road and pavement repairs, planning enforcement, pollution and road safety issues are also recurring concerns that come into my inbox but there is a wide range of issues to deal with each week alongside all of that.

The most rewarding part of my work so far is being a “connector” within the community. This can be between the residents and the council, community groups, schools or businesses. I see the value I add to Ilkley in seeking out, engaging with and helping people secure what they need – or at least work towards what they’re aiming for. 

My priorities over the coming six months will be shaped by engaging with residents and Bradford Council’s budget-setting process, which will be an extremely challenging time. I’ll also be scrutinising the progress of the Local Plan alongside Labour's proposed planning reforms for new housing.

Currently, these do not give local people a strong enough say on securing genuinely affordable housing, safeguarding the green belt or reducing fuel poverty through tighter building regulations relating to insulation and renewable energy. Other concerns I’m following up on include Bradford Council’s long overdue Climate Action Plan and more support for public transport.

On the plus side, I am excited about Bradford 2025 and helping to showcase Ilkley and our cultural and creative energies as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations next year. Having spent a safe and enjoyable Saturday evening out in Bradford City Centre with my family recently, I’m also looking forward to signing up for events over the coming year.

I hope that what residents will take away from my first six months is that their trust in me has been well-placed. I’m determined to repay that trust by continuing to work tirelessly for Ilkley, seeking out and listening to a full spectrum of views, whatever the age, background, politics or circumstances of the people I speak with – and finding meaningful ways of supporting them to thrive locally.

I also hope to see more Greens elected to serve our community over the coming years because I believe that we offer a fairer, greener style of politics that puts people and planet before profit – something that is often sorely missing from local government.