Does party political whipping impact or pose a threat to local democratic representation in English local councils?

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Title of Project: Does party political whipping impact or pose a threat to local democratic representation in English local councils?

Researchers Details: Nikki Smith, [email protected]

This survey investigates whether party political whipping affects the ability of parish and town councillors to act as effective local representatives and whether this poses a threat to local democratic representation in English local councils.

In this survey, you are asked to answer a series of questions. The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. There are no risks involved in this study. Your data will remain anonymous in all published work resulting from the study. Participation in this research study is voluntary. You may withdraw at any time by exiting the study; if you do so before submitting your answers, your data will not be saved.

By clicking on the box below and proceeding to the task, you certify that you have read this form and agreed to participate in accordance with the above conditions.
Please tick to confirm
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1.Have you worked under a council where party groups operate a formal or informal whip on voting? *A party whip is when a political group directs its members on how they should vote on an issue. This can be through formal instruction or by informal pressure.*
Yes
No
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2.What is your budget in 2026/2027?
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3.How many councillors do you have when all seats are filled?
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4.What is the political balance at the council your are answering on behalf of ? (you can can complete multiple surveys for different councils)
Majority party
No overall control
Mostly independents
Not a political council
Something Else
If you have answered 'Not a political council then please move to Question 18, if not please move to Question 5.
5.Does the council
Run formally on party lines
Say it is officially non-political, but in fact runs with de facto party groups.  *'De facto party groups' means the council is officially non-political, but in practice councillors still organise and vote in informal party-based groups.*
6.Have you ever been inquorate because members have chosen not to attend meetings rather than break the party whip?
Never
Once
Occasionally
Frequently
7.Have you observed changes in specific councillors’ voting patterns when party whipping is applied?
Yes
No
8.Have you had decisions made by smaller groups of councillors because individuals did not want to break the party whip so chose not to attend important meetings?
Never
Once
Occasionally
Frequently
9.Have you had councillors leave as they did not want to break the party whip?
Yes
No
10.To what extent are party group positions agreed before formal meetings?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Hardly ever
Never
11.To what extent does this pre-meeting decision-making limit the scope for open debate in the meeting itself?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Hardly ever
Never
12.In your view, does party whipping at your council?
Strengthen decision-making (e.g. clearer leadership/more efficient)
Weaken local representation (e.g. Councillors unable to reflect local views)
Both/Neither
13.Have you observed instances where councillors voted against their constituents' expressed views due to party whip pressure?
Yes
No
14.How often do councillors raise concerns about conflicts between party positions and local community views?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Hardly ever
Never
15.In your experience, do councillors have mechanisms to voice local concerns that conflict with party positions?
Yes
No
16.Have you ever had concerns that party whipping may conflict with the councillor's Code of Conduct or principles of acting in the public interest?
Yes
No
17.Do you think residents understand the extent to which party groups influence decisions before or during meetings?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Hardly ever
Never
18.Have you worked under different political parties?
Yes
No
19. If you answered Yes for Number 18. Was the role of the party whip different under different administrations?
Yes
No
20.Since you have been a clerk, has the level of party political influence on your council’s work
Increased
Decreased
Stayed the same
21.Have you ever felt your own professional role as clerk has been made more difficult by party whipping ?
Yes
No
22.Would you be prepared to take part in a short interview of about 20-30 minutes if asked after this, if so please provide your name and email address here. All answers will be kept confidential.
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