Commentary on Sections Part 1 – Strengthening local democracy Section 1 - Duty to conduct a survey
7.Requires each principal council in Wales to conduct a survey of unsuccessful candidates who have stood for election as councillors at ordinary elections to principal and community councils in Wales (normally held concurrently every four years), and also of those persons who have been successfully elected as councillors at these elections.
8.The survey is intended to cover various issues and help inform policy makers about the success or otherwise of initiatives to encourage a wider range of persons to stand for election to councils. The survey questions, the survey form and the manner of collating the information will be prescribed in regulations to be made by the Welsh Ministers.
9.The local authority undertaking the survey must ensure that councillors and candidates are able to provide the information anonymously; councillors and candidates are under no obligation to respond to the survey.