THE WAY I SEE IT: Councillors denied access to schools is ‘profoundly undemocratic’
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We live in a representative democracy.
Responsibility is invested in those we elect to take decisions on our behalf and accountability rests with the elected for those decisions. Local councillors are not employed by the council. We do not work for the council. We work for the people. Legally, we ARE the council.
Highland Council is responsible for a huge number of services, buildings and workplace settings. All are publicly funded and/or owned – including schools. Senior officials and managers charged with running the council and managing services day-to-day, on our behalf, must be able to do so without unnecessary disruption and interference.
This is especially true of schools. Nobody disputes this. So, there is no access on demand. But, visiting schools is a legitimate and natural part of our work as councillors. Building good relationships with local head teachers is also vital, given education is the council’s biggest service spend. For me also, it is important head teachers feel able to speak freely and candidly to local members about the challenges and issues impacting on education.
This openness and transparency are healthy in a democracy. We need more of it. Not less.
Meaningful dialogue, trust and understanding can only happen when relationships have been built up.
It should be rare for an elected member not to respect that it is the head teacher who decides whether a request for a visit is convenient. Whilst the presumption should always be that we cannot be ‘shut out’, we should not ‘rock up’, demanding entry. That is unreasonable and wrong. Also, the best laid plans can always go awry in a school. An unforeseen crisis or incident may see a visit postponed. This too must be respected.
So, having a protocol to provide clarity on the ‘dos and don’ts’ around school visits is sensible. The impetus at a higher official level for complete ‘control’ of this process would only make sense if this were merely an operational matter. The point is, it isn’t. Aside from the protocol being overly complex, bureaucratic and likely unworkable, the central issue is that it flies in the face of a core democratic principle: Officials should not exercise authority over elected members in deciding what they can and cannot do.
This places the ball in the wrong court. It is profoundly undemocratic. It is also undermining of the role and status of councillors within communities. We are the council representing the people; these schools are our responsibility. Whether inadvertently or not, the protocol establishes a barrier that will potentially impede and frustrate elected representatives’ ability to access schools. It will also inhibit the building of important relationships with our school leaders. Our schools will be more distant from gaze.
Of course, current members with pre-existing arrangements in place will carry on as they currently do. This isn’t just about us and the ‘here and now’, though. It’s about those who will come after us when there won’t be pre-existing arrangements in place. The impact is going to be felt more in the future. We have a responsibility to be mindful of this and seek an approach that passes the democratic test, respects operational challenges faced by head teachers and is also workable.
Sarah Atkin
Independent Councillor
Black Isle Ward
