Councillors, participation, and local democracy

Abstract

This chapter explores the attitudes of councillors towards citizen participation in local government. It examines specific mechanisms of engagement for citizens within a system of local democracy that contains representative and participatory elements. As elected representatives, councillors are part of the fabric of representation, and therefore may well be naturally inclined to view with suspicion any moves which take local politics much beyond the formal processes of voting, elections, and decision-making in municipal chambers. It is worth noting, however, that, in Heinelt (this volume) many councillors did show favourable attitudes towards participation in local democracy.