Taking a local lead

Life as a local councillor is rewarding but tough, says Rosemary Gilligan, who has done the job since 2002. But, as Sunil Peck finds out, that hasn’t put her off wanting more disabled people to make the move into public politics

If you take it seriously, you’re on call 24 hours a day. If there’s a noisy event going on, people will phone me up at midnight and won’t think twice about it.”

Councillor Rosemary Gilligan is a member of the licensing and planning committees of Hertsmere Council. She stood for election to the council because her disability was making it difficult for her to hold down a full-time job.

As Mayor between 2009 and 2010 she welcomed Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester  to the borough.

What motivated Rosemary Gilligan to put herself forward for the role was the self-confidence she gained from a mentoring programme run by the disability charity Radar.

So it’s hardly surprising that she’s enthusiastic about the proposals in a Govern­ment consultation that, if successful, could involve more disabled people in local and national politics.

The scheme includes the creation of a fund to cover the disability-related costs of running for office, train­ing disabled candidates, setting up a network of disabled MPs and local councillors, and improving the image of disabled politicians.

“I went into this because I couldn’t hold down a full-time job but I wanted to do something. Local politics seemed a good option, given how hard it is for us to find work.”

The transition to serving the public is a “huge step”, she says.

“I recall being up all night at the count, going home, being woken up the next morning and being handed a 250-signature petition against a new development, and thinking ‘What do I do with this?’. It’s like starting a new job.”

Petitions and meetings can pose access problems.

“Reading is difficult for me because I have dyslexia, and there’s an awful lot of stuff to read, and if you don’t read everything you might miss something important.

“Also I went to a meeting on the third floor of an old police station. I’m on crutches and it was a struggle, and the organisers were embarrassed but there wasn’t anywhere to meet on the ground floor.”

Despite these challenges, Councillor Gilligan is keen for more disabled people to follow in her footsteps.

“When you’ve helped someone get a house or access a service, you feel like you’ve improved the local community in some way. It’s going to be draining and you have to be prepared to work with people on a very personal level. But it’s worth all the hard work.”

*The consultation runs until 11 May and the scheme is expected to launch later this year.

• For more information, see: equalities.gov.uk/what_we_do/representation_in_public_life.aspx