'There is no emotional support when you're a new councillor'

Since May's local elections, three South Yorkshire councillors have stepped down from their posts, drawing attention to the pressures that come with serving in public office.

One of the big shocks of the Sheffield City Council poll was the ousting of the authority's leader, Labour's Tom Hunt - who lost his seat in the Walkley ward by just 73 votes to Green Party candidate Andy Davies.

Davies resigned last week, saying in a statement that he was "not prepared for the huge weight of expectation and obligation", with the "pressure and stress" manifesting in unhealthy ways.

Reform UK councillor Kay Hughes cited personal reasons for giving up her Barnsley Council seat in Penistone East just eight weeks after the election, though she did not give further details.

Davies clarified that his own resignation was motivated by personal reasons and his mental health.

The third councillor to step down is Gareth Slater, who previously represented the Southey ward on Sheffield City Council for Labour. He left the party to sit as an independent before resigning in July.

Mick Lee, who was elected to Sheffield City Council for the Shiregreen and Brightside ward in May, also left his party within weeks - in his case, Reform. He decided to remain serving as an independent councillor to avoid the costs of another by-election, but has spoken about the difficulties he has faced as a first-time representative.

The role has been particularly challenging as he is autistic.

"I became a councillor as I like helping people; I always have. I joined St John Ambulance as a cadet and then served in the military.

"I was a student councillor, but when I was at the University of Sheffield it led me to getting my diagnosis in 2014 of Asperger's.

"Asperger's means I interact and view the world slightly differently to other people which can give the impression that I'm a little bit slow, which I'm not.

"There are day-to-day communication challenges. I can be quite gregarious and go out and meet people, but I do find that very draining because of autistic masking, where I try to appear normal but it creates a mental drain. In these first few months I've had good days and bad days."

His advice to other new councillors was to form alliances for mutual support.

"There is no emotional support, so find friends. Find people who think similarly to you."

Jon Dean, an associate professor of politics and sociology at Sheffield Hallam University, said that the raft of resignations so soon after local elections could be caused by the shifting political landscape, when candidates standing for parties seen as having little chance of success suddenly found themselves in office.

He added: "A lot of the time, people put themselves forward thinking they are going to be a name on the ballot paper rather than ever really expecting to win.

"But as Labour and the Tories have suffered so much electorally recently, it means lots of councillors from smaller parties have won unexpectedly and suddenly find themselves taking on something they weren't quite prepared for."

This happened in West Yorkshire soon after the polls, when Kirklees Council leader Sarah Wood admitted she did not understand local government rules or the constitution during a meeting.

Councils and the Local Government Association do offer training for newly elected members, but it focuses more on the mechanics of the role rather than emotional support.

Prof Dean said: "I think smaller parties struggle with making sure that they get the right people, that they are ready for public service and understand the level of work that might be involved.

"The bigger parties are much more experienced in guiding people through that process. If a party doesn't have a process for managing things, and people are left to it, that can lead to a mental health crisis."

Many councillors also hold full- or part-time jobs alongside their role, claiming an annual allowance that can range from £17,000 in Sheffield to just £12,237 in Barnsley.

Prof Dean added: "You're a councillor alongside your job and it can come to dominate your life quite significantly.

"You're suddenly in a position where people are looking to you for help on all manner of things and you feel responsible.

"If you are already struggling with mental health problems and then suddenly you're hearing lots of people's really upsetting stories, that can be horrible to deal with."

The electorate has another chance to go to the ballot boxes this summer. The Penistone East by-election has been set for 20 August; and in Southey for 27 August. A date for the Walkley by-election has yet to be finalised.

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