Obscure legislation that is not fit for the modern world

The outdated legislation wording of the past risks strifling our tomorrow

I do a number of voluntary roles to support the community from my role as a councillor through until today as a school governor to support my local primary school that my son attends.

I was asked in 2019 to consider becoming a parent governor at the school that I was happy to do to help support the vital service in the community.

Like may voluntary roles to support the community I know it's hard to get people to come forward to stand for such roles just as with town and parish council roles.

Unfortunately I have after discovering an obscure quirk in regulations made in parliament had to today resign as a school governor after confirming with the county school governor support team that it appears the legislation prevents an elected councillor from also acting as a school parent governor any other type of governor is not an issue if vacancies exist community or local authority governors can be elected councillors it appears just not parent governors for some reason.

This is down to a small line in a section of legislation that ready

Disqualification criteria for categories of governor

5.—(1) A person is disqualified from election or appointment as a parent governor of a school if the person—

(a) is an elected member of the local authority;

This small line "is an elected member of the local authority" apparently covers town and parish councils as well as other levels of district, county and unitary authorities.

It's interesting that local authority interpretation in regards to town and parish councils is a fluid one that has Town and Parish classed as a local authority for some things but not others.

Through my role as a parish councilor I strive to support the local community to the best of my ability but as a parent I also strive to support the education establishment my son attends as his school.

Legislation is actively preventing me and I am sure it will impact others from doing both to support the community and the school in the community that we have children attending.

I am annoyed that this issue was discovered after having served as a School governor for a year and the implications that has or could have had for both me and the wider implications.

But I am more annoyed at the implications of the legislation one of many silly obscure quirks that prevent people supporting the community due to outdated or obscure wording or interpretations of.

Another example is the outdated wording that is now preventing councils from holding virtual meetings due to the interpretation of the word meeting and place in legislation made in 1970's when virtual was a far of fantasy idea that is now reality for us all.

Many of our outdated legislations needs made fit for the world we now live in and for the future and needs an act of parliament to make legislation fit for the 21st Century that brings the modern world interpretation and reference into our laws of a past era.

Unless legislation if fit for the world we now live in we risk becoming trapped in the past and unable to truly deliver and innovate as a society unable to function from the grass roots of community up to the decisions and function of government.

The above are but 2 examples of how outdated legislation is stifling the ability to function and the need for an urgent modernisation of our legislation to make iot fit for today and tomorrow not yesterday.