Barriers

• Practical barriers including age and disability are the most common reasons why respondents would not like to work for the council
• Other common barriers to working for the council or participating in local politics include a perceived lack of diversity and inclusion, as well as a lack of knowledge about what opportunities are available
• Participants feel that giving back to the community, having insider information on what is going on in the city, and having an influence on what happens in the city are positive drivers for working with or for the council

This table shows the key themes of why respondents would not work for the council. These are:
36% of respondents mentioned practical barriers
17% of respondents mentioned different career or career plans
10% of respondents mentioned lack of diversity/inclusion
9% of respondents mentioned workplace other (e.g. cliquey, bureaucratic, rigid, bullying culture)
6% of respondents mentioned not interested in or don’t like politics
5% of respondents mentioned don’t live here / don’t want to live here
5% of respondents mentioned too stressful / emotionally draining
3% of respondents mentioned too busy (e.g. caring responsibilities)
3% of respondents mentioned no suitable roles
9% of respondents mentioned nothing or don’t know

Would you like to be more involved in local politics or work for the council?

Barriers to voluntary participation e.g. councillor, school governor, community champion

• Voluntary participation raised some practical issues such as taking too much time up, being too old/retired, costing too much, lack of transport/parking, or already being involved at the level they feel comfortable with
• For some it was a lack of knowledge about what voluntary roles are available, how to apply and what they entail
• Others cited poor health (mental or physical) as barriers to taking part
• Lack of diversity or representation of different groups puts people off from getting involved

Barriers to paid work at the council

• Some similar comments to taking part in voluntary roles i.e. too old/retired, lack of transport/parking
• No diversity in the job advertising. Don’t see people that look like them. Language is often complex and uses jargon
• Application forms are disproportionately complex for the roles being applied for e.g. manual or low-paid, part-time roles
• Lack of English language skills
• Unable to work full time or on a regular schedule because of disability or poor health
• Building itself is off-putting for some (civic offices) – perceive it as authoritarian, discriminatory and racist
• Some younger voices have a perception of working for the council as being very corporate, admin heavy and bureaucratic
• More likely to consider applying if workforce was visibly more diverse including the SMT

Positive drivers

• Helping others and giving something back to the community
• Knowing what is going on in the city by being on the inside
• Having an influence on what happens and how things are done in the city

“Although I am passionate about representing my community, I prefer to actively contribute to my community (LGBTQ+ and BIPOC) by volunteering my time due to my interest in an alternative career path.”

“I’ve worked for the council before, and previously it was not a particularly liberal, progressive or open environment. I couldn’t say if that has changed or not.”

“I’m not a very political person and I don’t like that sort of thing, but I would like to make a positive change to the world.”

“No confidence (in myself, not PCC!) and little likelihood of finding a job which would allow me to maximise my skills set while accommodating my health issues.”

“It would depend on the role but I have previously been put off applying for jobs within PCC by the levels of bureaucracy within the sector I work.”