As part of a series of interviews with group leaders at Bridgend Council ahead of the 2022 local government elections, we spoke to Alex Williams of the Independent Alliance. Here's what he had to say.
"You feel like you can change the world" - that is how Bridgend councillor Alex Williams described the feeling of stepping into local politics for the first time.
Five years on, the Independent Alliance Group Leader at Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) before the 2022 election period is reflecting on the most valuable lessons he has learnt as a representative of his ward ahead of this year's elections.
Despite being a party with no clear political affiliation, the Independent Alliance is the largest opposition to the Labour administration at BCBC.
Read more: 'The wards where the local elections in Bridgend could be won and lost'
Mr Williams, who has led the group since 2017, said: "The wheels of local politics turn more slowly than [what] you [expect them] to when you become a county councillor.
"That is probably the most invaluable lesson I can pass on to anyone who is aspiring to become a councillor - to try and maintain some kind of perspective on exactly what you can achieve over the course of your term.”
Local democracy and engagement
Describing himself as a "political graduate", Mr Williams completed his MA in Politics at Strasburg before working at the European Parliament.
He later went on to study trans-Atlantic politics in Seattle.
As one of a number of younger council members, the group leader said there is still a way to go in encouraging wider engagement in local politics.
"I think there is some scepticism among the public about exactly what a councillor achieves," said Mr Williams.
"[And] whether they get any value for money in their local services.
“They see council tax going up and they associate that with what we call the public realm and their communities, but they don’t [always] see [that] their council tax contributes towards schools and social services because they don’t necessarily access those services.
“I believe there is a job to do by the local authority in explaining what they do for the local community."
A new advance voting pilot is being launched in Bridgend County Borough this year in a bid to boost voter turn out. You can read more about that here.
The scheme allows registered voters in certain wards to vote at a time of their choosing two days before the election, which is on May 5 this year.
Encouraging youth in politics
Additionally, there will be a separate advance voting pilot at Cynffig Comprehensive School aimed at encouraging younger voters to place their ballots.
For the first time in Wales, 16 and 17-year-olds will be eligible to vote in local government elections.
Mr Williams added: "It is going to be even more important to try and engage young people in the process.
“Part of the issue, for me, is to try and encourage those younger people to stand.
“When you look across the local authority, the vast majority of my colleagues are over the age of 50 if not over the age of 60.
“You have got very few members of the council who are under 40, like myself, Ross or Sorrel. We form the minority.”
On what could be holding younger people back from getting involved, Mr Williams, who runs a political consultancy business called Williams and Saunders Political Solutions, added: "There is an issue because people are pursuing careers at that particular age and to do the job properly there is a commitment to be made.
“I have been struggling with this issue for some time - whether it is correct to professionalise being a county councillor, or whether it should still be as a community volunteer with a small reward or stipe-end for expenses and time which you have to commit to on a monthly basis.
“If you professionalise it, you gain more engagement from an enhanced salary, you may encourage a different group of people to become more engaged – maybe more professional people with more experience in these particular areas.
“However, on the other hand there are merits in saying that all you want to do is ensure that you have a cross-section of society in a representative democracy."
Council tax
Mr Williams was one of the more vocal supporters of a council tax reduction last month when the council confirmed its budget.
In the end, councillors voted to freeze council tax.
When asked about Bridgend-wide issues and what he would like to change in the county borough, Mr Williams said he hopes the relationship between the council and members of the public can improved significantly.
He said: “We are constantly told by our officers and budgetary officers that we are going to have to make further service cuts in the future and that there will be significant council tax rises in the future.
“What I have been saying recently is that there needs to be more of a focus on an organisation which is the beast of BCBC on ensuring that we deliver value for money and that all the different directorates – education, social services, communities and council-wide budgets – justify their expenditure and ensure value for money for the people of Bridgend County Borough.
“We need to do more to communicate the council’s vision and make people understand that they are actually getting value for money from the council tax, which they contribute to council funds.
“Council tax makes up 30 per cent of the council budget. I don’t think people really understand that. Also, you have got to [understand] that council tax represents the second biggest cost in [some peoples’] household.
“You have got your mortgage or rental payments, which is the case with most households and then you have got council tax, which in my household is nearing £300. You need to ensure that people actually understand what they are getting for that money and every single directorate needs to look at themselves and justify public expenditure.
“I don’t think that is being done enough at the moment to make the organisation far more efficient. That is an internal matter that needs to be addressed at the very beginning of the council and throughout the council term so that we can direct all of those savings towards front line services."
Elections
With a relatively even balance of Conservative, independent and Labour candidates running in Bridgend, Mr Williams admitted that the elections in this year could be of particular interest.
He said: “This is a very interesting election to be a part of because of the finely balanced situation that we have within the local authority at the moment.
“You have got to look at it as an election which could potentially [change] the administration of Bridgend County Borough Council, whereas in other local authority areas you may not have that.
“At the moment because of the recent win by Chris Davies in Caerau, you have a minority Labour administration with 24 councillors out of 54. Of course, that number will be reduced to 52 in the next term.
“There may be a total change in the administration.”
You can find the names of every candidate running for election in Bridgend on the BCBC website. Want the latest news from Bridgend County straight to your inbox? Sign up for free here.
