"This Branch notes that: The Newham Governance Referendum on 6th May 2021 will offer the electorate a choice between confirming the current Directly-Elected Mayor & Cabinet Model and adopting the Committee Model of local governance.
This is a very different and updated approach from previous old-
style Council Committee Models, which a number of Councils have introduced
successfully.
Full Council – not the mayor or a ‘strong leader’ – holds all the decision-making powers. It is full Council’s decision whether to exercise those powers directly or to delegate them to committees or to officers.
·
Full council retains a number of key functions, including responsibility
for the overall policy framework, the corporate plan, the budget and the
setting of council tax;
- Full Council appoints a leader, but without executive powers. They can be replaced by full Council – which not an option that exists under Newham’s current arrangements.
- Committees
will be based on major functional areas, such as housing, finance,
education and resources; along with regulatory committees such as planning
and licensing; governance committees such as audit and standards; and
statutory scrutiny committees, such as health.
·
Committees will be politically balanced, so the majority party maintains
a dominant position in decision-making;
- There is an
opportunity to establish local committees based on ward or multi-ward
geographical areas, with the relevant ward councillors as the membership.
This Branch believes that:
· the Committee Model ensures that there is greater equality between council members, with less of a hierarchy, as the council leader and committee chairs are elected by full council and all councillors belong to a decision-making committee;
·
because all the councillors take part in the decision-making process, there
are more points of contact through which their party members and the public can
influence decisions
·
as all councillors have a role in decision making, there is less reason
for in-groups and out-groups to form - with the latter feeling excluded or like
second-class councillors;
·
with members of committees being obliged to co-operate, there is less
likelihood of antagonistic factions developing;
·
as every councillor has a role in decision making and seeing decisions
enacted, they have collective responsibility for the council’s actions and
cannot escape accountability to their party members and the public.
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