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Your council
How should the council make decisions?
Final decision
- Council agenda and report items 12, 13 and 14 detailing the information to committee on the 11th December 2007 and also the minutes of the meeting with the outcome
- Press release 07/126
Details about how the decision was reached are shown below
Your step by step guide to the options for the council and how to have your say - cabinet or committee - you can help decide.
- Introduction
- What is the overview and scrutiny?
- Options for change
- What is the same and what is different in the options?
- Need more information?
- Timetable for change
- Send us your views
Introduction
The world and local government are changing rapidly and it is important for Adur District Council to keep pace.
The council needs to look at ways of improving it’s effectiveness.
Providing efficient, transparent and accountable decision making; and encouraging strong leadership with politicians who can speak up for the whole district.
This has lead to the council looking to develop partnerships with the public,private and voluntary sectors.
To meet these new challenges the council has to consider whether or not it has the most appropriate decision making process.
The committee system, which has served local government for in excess of 100 years, allows for decision making by groups of councillors.
The non-committee options offer a system with greater accountability, clarity and efficiency.
Councillors have agreed that a change should not lead to an increase in cost.
At elections, you, the electorate would be voting for those making and responsible for implementing the majority of the decisions.
What is the overview and scrutiny?
In all of the options the decisions of a cabinet, individual members or executive committees (option 5) are subject to review and challenge by other councillors who are not involved in the making of the decision. This is a major part of the overview and scrutiny function.
Overview and scrutiny also helps ensure that the council works with local people, partners and community groups to provide services that meet the needs of residents and businesses.
Scrutiny can also encourage greater public participation in the development of policies because it can give more time and greater opportunities for the public to speak at meetings when it is looking at new policy ideas.
Options for change :
Due to the Government removing options 2 and not preceeding with option 4 there are now only 3 options.
Option 1 : A cabinet and leader
- Here you would directly elect local councillors as happens now. Once elected one councillor would be chosen by the other councillors to be leader for four years. The leader or the full council would then choose a cabinet of between two and nine councillors to share leadership of the council and make decisions. The leader and cabinet members could all be from one political party.
- The leader and/or cabinet members could have the power to make decisions as individuals or as a cabinet rather than collectively, as in a committee system. All other councillors would scrutinise the decisions
Option 2 : A directly elected mayor and council manager
- No longer available
Option 3 : A directly elected mayor and cabinet
- Here you would directly elect a mayor, separate from the councillors, every four years.
- Alongside the mayor a wider group of councillors would be elected (called the council). From that group the mayor would ask between two and nine councillors (called a cabinet) to join him or her to share the leadership of the council.
- The cabinet could be made up of councillors from any political party. The mayor and cabinet members could have the power to make decisions as individuals or as a cabinet rather than collectively as in a committee.
- Other councillors not in the cabinet would scrutinise the actions of the mayor and cabinet.
Option 4 : Elected Executive
- No longer available
Option 5 : A streamlined committee system (small council option)
- Here the existing committee system would remain.
- Decision making would be by committees of councillors from all political parties on the council and not by any individual.
- Limits are set on the total number of committees and how many councillors can sit on them.
- Scrutiny committee(s) would check all the important decisions made. councillors would be able to sit on a decision making committee and the scrutiny committee. Although there would be safeguards to ensure that any councillor would not be able to scrutinise a decision that he or she had been involved in.
What is the same and what is different in the options?
What’s the same?
- Adur voters would continue to elect councillors to the full council at local elections,
- There will be one or more scrutiny committee(s) to check decision making. These would include councillors from all political parties on the council All councillors,would be involved in major decisions about policy and budget
- Planning applications, licensing and other ‘semi judicial’ matters would be dealt with by committees
- When the leading group of politicians (whatever new option is chosen) takes important decisions collectively, these meetings must be held in public session
- There is a separate standards committee to ensure councillors uphold high standards of conduct.
What’s different?
- Options 3 involves election of a mayor helped by a cabinet of elected councillors. This may be seen as either placing too much power in the hands of a few people or helping the community to identify where responsibility for decision making lies
- A directly elected mayor is not a symbolic figure but a holder of a powerful political office
- Option 1 has no mayor but a leader and cabinet of councillors with decision making power.
- Options 1 and 3 involve the potential for individual councillors to make decisions
- Options 1 and 3 allow for greater accountability of decision makers
- Options 1 and 3 allow for single party decision making and accountability
- Option 5 is only available to small councils like Adur. The key difference is keeping collective decision making through modernised committees with scrutiny. And not to allow decision making by any one individual councillor
- Under option 5 there is not a need to separate councillors into either a cabinet or scrutiny role. While the principle that a councillor should not scrutinise a decision which he or she has been involved in remains, there is more flexibility in membership of the committees
- The main differences between the options concern which people willlead the council.
Current system - Streamlined committee system
- Multi party executive committees of seven councillors (majority party has majority of seats). But no individual takes responsibility for decisions.
- Policy matters generally considered only at Executive Committees as they are cross party Development and Scrutiny has powers to challenge decisions. As no individual Member can make decisions when attending meetings, they have to defer to officers who have delegated powers. This is in contrast to partner agencies who can make decisions at meetings.
- Councillors do not have powers to take individual decisions. This debases the importance of elected councillors.
- Outside organisations, such as Adur Consultative Fund, can be co-opted onto relevant committees.
- When major decisions are to be made, five working days notice is given to the public.
Option under consideration - Cabinet and Leader
- Single party Cabinet and Leader - gives clear responsibility, for decisions.
- Overview and Scrutiny Committees provide more opportunity for public involvement and cross party consideration. Recommendations for major issues are made to Cabinet and Leader.
- Greater opportunity for challenge of decision that have not been recommended by Overview and Scrutiny Committees.
- Individual member decision making will allow for quicker decisions on non-major issues.
- Individual decision making will empower Councillors in meetings with partners and enhance the Council’s role.
- Outside bodies, such as Adur Consultative Forum, are to be co-opted on to Overview and Scrutiny and to be policy advisers to individual cabinet members.
- When major decisions are to be made, three months notice is given to the public.
- Public access to individual councillors making decisions.
Need more information?
We have tried to explain the five options clearly. But we understand that not everyone is familiar with how local democracy works. You can call our Democracy Hotline on (01273) 263021 or send the Democratic Services Manager an e-mail for more information about the different options or terms we have used.
Timetable for change
Councillors will consider all your views before they decide which option to choose. They plan to decide early next year. We will tell you what decisions are made through the local media and Adur Outlook.
Send us your views
Please read the page above before completing the on-line questionnaire.
You can send us your views anytime from 17th September until 11th December 2007.
- Consultation period now closed
NB - Please be aware that due to new Government guidelines when completing the questionnaire options 2 and 4 are no longer a valid choice.
