A package of reforms to raise the game of local councils and strengthen local democracy throughout England and Wales is proposed in a ground-breaking report published today (Monday 10 December). Action to boost understanding of local government and the role of councillors, to attract new and more diverse candidates to stand in local elections and to deliver better quality support to those elected are among the proposals.

"The Commission's key message is that building effective and vibrant local democracy is a vital part of the solution to this wider malaise. We have a real opportunity to strengthen democracy in this country - we cannot afford to ignore it. The Commission concludes that councillors are most effective as local elected representatives when they have similar life experiences to those of their constituents yet councillors increasingly are failing to reflect the communities they serve.Only 4.1 per cent of local representatives come from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The Commission calls on the government to amend legislation to include councillor equalities targets in race, gender and disability equalities schemes. It proposes the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) work with the bottom 10 per cent of authorities who least reflect their communities supporting initiatives to improve diversity.

National political parties are urged to adopt fresh thinking about candidates to local government; they should encourage local parties to recruit people who share their values but may not have a lengthy record of party activity and work with a range of organisations such as Operation Black Vote and the Fawcett Society to develop presentational and political skills in under-represented groups. And the EHRC and Electoral Commission should work with political parties to reach a voluntary agreement that they behave as if they were bound by positive duties to promote equality.