I'd like to start my contribution to this debate by stating that I believe that representative democracy should be just that—who we elect should reflect our society in all of its diversity. Given that we make up more than 50 per cent of the population, gender balance in our democracy is vital. But we must also take an intersectional approach to this and make sure that we do whatever we can to increase representation of women from all backgrounds: women of colour, gay and trans, disabled, young and older women, working-class women and so on. I’m supportive of quotas to achieve this balance, but I also recognise that there are practical difficulties as well as the disagreement on the committee, and that’s why we weren’t able to make a recommendation along those lines.

There are significant barriers to overcome if we are to see a more diverse range of councillors, and not the same old grey, white and male caricature that has become the default image of a councillor for many people. And that’s not to disregard the great work that’s done by many councillors across Wales who work tirelessly for their communities. But it is important to highlight this issue at its core. Women, LGBTQ+ people, BAME people, working-class and disabled people are all under-represented, and we can’t remedy this under-representation without tackling sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and all the other prejudices that are, unfortunately, still very prevalent in our society. Austerity and poverty are additional barriers to encouraging diversity in local government. I do hope, therefore, that the Government will look to implement the suggestions that are in this committee report. We must look at those barriers that stop people from standing in the first place, and this can be done by addressing several issues such as accessible meetings, making technology more widely used so that members can attend meetings perhaps via the phone or by Skype, as well as accommodating members with childcare commitments through providing childcare at the meetings, or allowing job sharing, amongst other measures.

A more nuanced approach would focus on eliminating the underlying interconnecting barriers that face people in getting nominated for elected office and conducting successful campaigns. Some obstacles are in the system itself. So, for example, women fare better under proportional representation than they do in the first-past-the-post system, and that's been highlighted by the World Economic Forum. At the last local government election, 98 per cent of the candidates were white, 94 per cent were heterosexual and 34 per cent were women. After the election, only 26 per cent of councillors were women. Further again, disabled people are significantly disadvantaged from standing for office as some may not be able to knock the doors in the same way that some Members here and I can. 

Another deterrent for people who want to stand in local government elections is the abuse that people can get on social media. I'm aware that many Members in this Chamber will have experienced this sort of abuse, so we know all too well the kind of effect that that can have. I know of some incredibly talented people who would make very good local representatives, but because of the lack of support and protection for individuals at a local level as well as in the social media world, they are entirely put off. If we want the best representatives, we have to help and encourage them. Therefore, I welcome the recommendation made by this report that the Government must press the UK to ensure strong and robust legislation to tackle social media abuse, bullying and harassment.

We can't escape the fact that change needs to start at the top and we need Government to lead by example. Of Welsh Government appointments between October 2017 and March 2019, all 170 appointments were white. Government should be leading by example. There's a long way to go before we achieve a true and equally represented society, but I hope that the Government will see this opportunity as a start, take this report seriously, and enact all of its recommendations.