This evening I went to West Ham (as Cllr) and Forest Gate North (as member) branch Labour Party meetings and both voted unanimously for this motion (one abstention)
"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.
This Branch therefore advises its
members to campaign and vote for the Committee Model in the Newham Governance
Referendum.
