Tower and Town, August 2021 (view the full edition)Town Councillor: Susie PriceWhy did you want to become a councillor? I've always had an interest in politics and have done a variety of volunteering since my mid-teens, so getting involved in local government was sort of a natural progression from that. Actually, getting on Marlborough Town Council was all quite last minute for me, but it was a combination of feeling it was something I should have a go at, friends nagging me, and the timing being right! How did it feel when you were elected and actually had to do the job?
I didn't come to the council with a list of pet projects, which I think is the best way to approach it. What becomes immediately clear when you join is that there is a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes, so I tried sitting on every committee over the years to get a feel for every aspect of council work. A 4-year term is about enough time to get your head around it all! What are council meetings like? As a councillor you get used to them quite quickly, which can be a problem because you lose all perspective of what they are like to a "normal" person! Generally, though, the best way to think of council meetings are as business meetings. The point is to make decisions, and councillors are supposed to do the work beforehand and come to the meeting ready to get things done efficiently. Some people are put off because they don't feel they can participate during a meeting, but every meeting has a public question time, and for the first couple of years being a councillor it was rare to see any members of the public at a meeting, which is a shame. Doing virtual meetings during 2020 saw a huge increase in public engagement, so I was dismayed to hear that these might not be continuing. What do you like about being a councillor and what is less enjoyable?
I think the most frustrating thing about being a councillor is when misunderstandings snowball into toxic arguments, either between councillors, the public or both. There is often no "right" answer, and certainly never one that will please everyone, so the best we can do is make sure all the available information has been considered fairly. Do you think you have anything particular to offer as a young woman in the role? Diversity is a force for good, and it was pretty pale, male and stale when I joined the council in 2017 (my former fellow councillors won't mind me saying that!). However, I am still a middle class, white, childless, able-bodied, and all round quite privileged person in the town. We all have a responsibility to support people from less represented groups to be part of local decision making. |
I wish I'd been elected! There weren't enough candidates standing for the town council in 2017, so we were all walk-ins, which was quite a strange feeling for a newcomer to the council. It definitely leads to a bit of an imposter syndrome. 
I'm really interested in what goes on in the community and what makes the town tick, so the council is an opportunity to stick your fingers in loads of pies and make a genuine difference. Seeing things like people enjoying a new play area, or even having a clean bill of health from the financial auditors (less glamorous but still important!), and knowing you had a part in making it happen is a good feeling.