Westmorland and Furness Council is set to approve a number of changes to the council’s constitution on Thursday. Among the changes is a recommendation to approve changes that will enable the council to create new political officer roles that could potentially cost council tax payers £175,000 to provide council employees to act as political officers/assistants for the political parties in Westmorland and Furness Council.
The political roles if the constitution changes are approved the the full council on Thursday, will work to support the main political parties of Westmorland and Furness Council.
The job title may conjure up images of political officers in films like the soviet era Hunt for Red October that depicted the political officer who served to further the political interest's of the party.
Here in Cumbria the Westmorland and Furness Council political assistants will be local government employees who undertake research and provide administrative support for the main political parties or groups within Westmorland and Furness Council employed by the council to work for the political parties or groups that qualify.
The post of political officer/assistant in a local authority is politically restricted. That means like other politically restricted posts, the post-holder cannot stand for election, act as an election agent or sub-agent, be an officer of a political party, manage a party or branch of a party, and cannot canvass on behalf of a political party or candidate for election.
The new Political advisers will however be permitted to speak to the public with the intention of affecting support for a political party.
Political advisers are also able to publish or cause to be published written work or other material intended to affect public support for a political party, but they must not give the impression that the publication is authorised by the political party.
The councils own forecast cost for recruiting three political advisers for a year by Westmorland and Furness Council is approximately £175,000
The Liberal Democrats currently control Westmorland and Furness Council with 55% of the total seats with Labour holding 23% and the Conservative holding 17% the remaining 5% of seats held by Independent and Green Party representing three of the councils 65 councillors.
Council members attending Thursdays full council meeting will be recommended to approve changes to Westmorland and Furness council's constitution necessary to allow for the appointment of Political Assistants to political parties or groups that qualify.
Councillors will also be asked to delegate to the Chief Legal and Monitoring Officer the authority to agree a draft Local Protocol in Relation to Political Assistants incorporating a job description for the role in consultation with the Leaders of the Political Groups who qualify for appointment of a Political Assistant.
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