Plans to overhaul the Isle of Wight Council’s governance model, described as a ‘bright future’ for County Hall, have been given the official go ahead.
Full Council voted to approve a new committee system constitution, replacing the local authority’s cabinet decision-making structure, at last Wednesday’s meeting.
The new constitution received near-unanimous support, with the exception of Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox and Councillor Ian Stephens, who abstained.
Councillors agreed to move to a committee system at an extraordinary Full Council meeting on 1st May last year.
A committee system will bring greater democracy, transparency and accountability, Councillor Andrew Garratt, the leader of the Liberal Democrat group, told the chamber. He said:
“I think it is a bright future for this council; I very much look forward to it. However you feel about it, do take part – you will have much more say.”
The Conservatives’ Councillor Clare Mosdell urged members of future committees to ‘read the papers’ and give ‘intelligent and thoughtful’ answers. She said:
“It will work but it will only work as long as everybody in this chamber puts the effort into it to make it work.”
Article continues below this advertisement
The previously used cabinet system, where Full Council elects a leader who appoints and chairs a panel of executive councillors who meet regularly and can rapidly make decisions, is used by most local authorities, according to national body the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Councillor Hub.
The cabinet model also includes a system of overview and scrutiny where councillors not part of the cabinet can closely examine decision-making.
Councils that operate under a committee model, for example Bristol City Council and Sheffield City Council, have a variety of committees which look after different areas of policy.
Under this system, more councillors are actively involved in making decisions, but decision-making can take longer, the LGA has said.
Can the new system back track on the devolution decision otherwise it’s a pointless exercise? We will be ruled from the mainland by one person.
Devolution is already planned, the country is changing.
I dread to think what the future holds for our children
and their children.
There will be a lot of changes by 2030
So just another way to delay bad decisions then. Total waste of our bloody money, still never mind, next year 1st May all this council corruption and money wasting will come to light.
Nothing ever comes to light, things will get
sweeped under the carpet.
So we have a new governance system for the island!
in reality, we’re going back to the good old, well proven system discarded by idiots who thought they’d seem to be more important if they were part of a ‘cabinet,’ just like Westminster.
The cabinet system was a denial of clear democracy at the local level.
A case of ‘back to the future!’