When was there last an independent councillor on Ealing council? Plenty have tried and not succeeded in getting elected. Local elections are usually a protest vote against the incumbent national government. No coincidence that Ealing went Tory in 2006, after seven years of Tony Blair.Some councillors do work hard but there are plenty who don’t and plenty who only listen to the people who agree with them (secret meetings with certain residents go on aplenty). The real legwork is done by council officers, who compile the reports relied on by the cabinet and committees.As you know, the whip system operates very strictly when it comes to voting, so even party affiliated councillors who might disagree with a particular policy have to toe the line. Plenty of examples of Labour councillors getting reprimanded if they go against the grain.
Simon Hayes ● 1d