Opinion: The times they are a changin…

Drugs and mental health issues are increasingly common issues for councillors to deal with

When I was first elected as a councillor in 2018, ward residents most often contacted me to deal with fly tipping, anti-social behaviour, and trees, writes Labour Group leader Dennis Jones.

Knowing nothing about trees, I spent a lot of time with people who did and, whilst not pretending to be an expert, I did gain useful knowledge meaning I didn’t need to refer so often to officers who did.

Move the dial forward to 2023 and my case load largely revolves around drugs, misuse and dealing, mental illness, housing shortage, and homelessness. I very much doubt that my ward, Dogsthorpe, is in any way unique so I suspect my fellow councillors can relate to this shift in casework priorities.

I have seen change over two or three years so there is no surprise. Sadness is a better word. I and my fellow councillors collaborate with council officers and staff to deal with the regular issues we face. But drugs? Homelessness, housing shortage, a big increase in Houses of Multiple Occupation? Mental Health? Wow. These are big societal issues that need the expertise of, very often, under resourced, specialist agencies. I have never been so involved with the police, homeless charities, and mental health professionals.

I am learning. I know most of my fellow councillors are also trying to cope with the increases in casework I am sure that I am not alone in facing especially those of us representing the inner city and urban wards. But they take much more time to deal with.

I love the advocacy element of being a councillor and I love being on the corporate parenting committee. My fellow corporate parenting champions, of every political hue, work together to do a fantastic job advocating for our care experienced children. The phrase that is never far from any of our lips is “Would this be good enough for my child?”

I like to take it once stage further and advocate for those children who are being bullied or are in danger of slipping through the net, socially and educationally and at risk of offending as a result. You know them. They’re the kids on those scooters we all complain about. Vaping or getting high on Nitrous Oxide. Or they are simply hidden in the shadows, fearful of mainstream life and education, needing something different from those of their peers.

The stark reality is if we fail these young people and their parents, whether care experienced or not, we may just be watching the next drug, mental health issues develop in young people that can lead to other societal ills.

If my caseload is typical, councillors deal with issues needing increasingly specialist care to support the kids who are growing up fast in a world that is changing even faster, and adapting seems harder still when you are growing up or adults already struggling to cope.

The overworked, specialist agencies, including the police such as ‘the Met’ which is proposing to stop dealing with calls involving mental health unless life is at risk are struggling. I am proud of the work many of my fellow councillors doing their best to cope with changes in society that are challenging everyone. But don’t run away with the idea that fly tipping, trees and ASB has gone away. Nor has the cost-of-living crisis, Brexit, food banks and other stuff over which local councillors have so little influence.

That’s what we elect our MPs to do. But we’ll come back to that another time, shall we?