A COUNCILLOR has told colleagues to “stop whinging” and record complaints and gripes about support they receive with their council.
An annual satisfaction survey is being drafted to measure how councillors feel about the performance of the democratic services team which is charged with supporting them to carry out their roles as elected members.
When the draft survey was presented to Torfaen Borough Council’s democratic services committee complaints around the potential format and IT support for councillors were raised and a lack of privacy in the members’ room.
Newly appointed head of democratic service Tom Roberts and scrutiny officer Rebecca Fahey-Jones both urged councillors to complete the survey, when it is sent to them, and raise issues that are bothering them.
That view was backed by independent councillor for Cwmbran Two Locks Ron Burnett who told the committee: “If you don’t fill it in how are they to know (what the issues are)? If you don’t fill it in then don’t come whinging. I look at it like, if you don’t vote then don’t whinge about anything.”
Committee chairman Steve Evans said he had complaints about IT equipment and support from the SRS, or Shared Support Service, as he said he had a computer issue that hadn’t been resolved in months.
The Upper Cwmbran Labour councillor also said it was difficult to hold private conversations in the members’ room at the Civic Centre in Pontypool.
He said: “You get people walking in and signing in. I thought it was for members, you’ve got to be careful if you’re having a conversation someone can come in and sign in for cleaning or something.”
Mr Roberts said there is a private space available for members to have private conversation and he said the SRS holds drop-in events for councillors ahead of meetings.
But he urged Cllr Evans to complete the survey and also encourage other members to do so after Cllr Evans said he was concerned at how many of the 40 councillors would fill in the form and whether it would be a “true reflection”.
Mr Roberts said: “Regards take up that has been a bugbear for us. I hope you as chair can help push that for us and promote it amongst the council’s membership.”
Labour councillor Stuart Ashley, who said he’d had to join the meeting on a video link on his own computer due to problems with his council-issued laptop, said he would have liked to see more mutiple choice questions on the form rather than boxes were councillors were expected to write their own answers.
The Pontnewydd member described himself as “a bit notorious for not filling these things in” but said: “More multiple choices rather than us having to think about what we to say might be better. I have seen better quality than this. I’m not being critical.”
Ms Fahey-Jones said text boxes were provided to give councillors the opportunity to raise concerns and it would be difficult to cover everything using tick boxes and the survey would then be shaped by the outlook of officers.
The committee agreed the survey will be circulated to all councillors.