Councillor Wilkes to Move
This Council notes:
a)
That the Localism Act 2011
permits councils to change from one form of governance to another,
including a return to a non-cabinet committee system;
b)
That committees are the most
democratic form of decision making and enable all councillors to be
involved and gain experience in many areas; and
c) That other councils have reverted to a committee system which has ensured both democracy and accountability for all councillors and therefore all electors.
This Council believes that:
a)
Too many elected members of all
parties are insufficiently involved in the decision making process,
so that the people who voted for them do not have a voice in the
council.
b)
A committee system operated
successfully at Durham County Council for over 100 years prior to
the introduction of the leader/cabinet arrangements legislated for
by Tony Blair’s Labour government; and
c) Due to the current Cabinet system ordinary councillors of all parties have been denied the right to a public vote on many important decision making processes, and that this is fundamentally undemocratic.
This Council therefore urges the new council to change back to a committee system at the earliest opportunity.
Minutes:
Having regard to the length of time Council business had taken to transact, Councillor Wilkes informed the Council he would withdraw his Motion and submit it to the next meeting of the Council.