Councillor Shadowing Schemes

The Councillor Shadowing Scheme works with local Councils to seek out individuals who have the potential to stand for elected office in service to the Local authority. This is because UK Councils are running a deficit of minority ethnic councillors.

Councils are urged to improve minority councillor numbers and to take action to engage minority groups in decision making at all levels of governance within the Council.

Under 3% of the UK’s 100,000 councillors are from a Black and other minority ethnic (BME) background. BME groups make up nearly 10% of a population of over 61 million people.

OBV have run Councillor Shadowing Schemes with Liverpool and Bristol Councils, and the National BAME Women Councillor Shadowing Scheme, in partnership with the Government Equalities Office (GEO), was undertaken in over 50 local authorities across the UK.