Councillors all over Scotland could soon be allowed to vote by proxy following a plea made by Perth and Kinross Council.
In February 2023 elected members gave their unanimous support for Perth and Kinross Council to call on the Scottish Government to make councils “more inclusive and family friendly” and allow proxy voting for parental/family leave.
SNP council leader Grant Laing wrote to the Scottish Government requesting an amendment to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and now councillors across the country are being consulted on the proposal.
The change would bring Scotland’s local authorities in line with the UK and Scottish Parliaments and allow a councillor to formally nominate another elected member to cast a proxy vote on their behalf at council meetings.
Blairgowrie and Glens councillor Caroline Shiers – who tabled the 2023 motion alongside Independent Strathearn councillor Rhona Brock – is delighted.
The Conservative councillor said: “I am really pleased that the Scottish Government are consulting on proxy voting for councillors. I genuinely believe that we need to modernise many of the ways councils do business to make them accessible to people of all ages and stages in life. I would have appreciated the opportunity to vote by proxy, or have had some form of pairing system, when I was a new mum and juggling being a councillor with maternity leave some 16 years ago now.”
In December 2008 Cllr Shiers was unable to attend a council meeting due to the fact she was in hospital and about to give birth to her second child. The rules would not allow someone to vote in her place. As a result, Cllr Shiers ended up attending meetings with her newborn just four weeks later.
And – until now – the rules have remained the same.
Cllr Shiers added: “Admittedly we now have hybrid meetings which help a lot but – as anyone with a new baby will attest – even logging on to an online meeting to vote would be a challenge. The consultation lays out a lot of the issues around this and the possible scenarios where councillors may require a proxy vote. I have emailed all my colleagues on Perth and Kinross Council to encourage them to engage in the consultation and thank the council leader, Cllr Laing, for writing to the Scottish Government following the motion tabled at full council.
“I really hope that this can be delivered and we can seek to ensure our councils operate in as modern, fair and efficient a way as possible.”
Other reasons for a councillor perhaps making use of a proxy vote – being considered under the proposal – include: a long-term illness or injury, bereavement and caring for someone who is nearing the end of their life.
The consultation will close on November 28.