Scrapping committee system an 'attack on democracy'

A council leader has said the government's move to change the way local authorities operate is an "attack on democracy".

For almost a decade, Stroud District Council (SDC) has used the committee model, which involves councillors working together in groups to make decisions on everything from planning applications to bin collection services.

But the committee system is being scrapped and in an announcement last week, the minister for local government and devolution, Jim McMahon, said the change would "improve efficiencies", describing the outgoing model as "unclear, duplicative, and wasteful".

In response, Green council leader, Chloe Turner, said the mandatory changes were "very disappointing".

Most councils in England operate under the cabinet model - where a council leader and a ruling cabinet make decisions - and the government has told councils including Stroud and Bristol that they must now switch to this method.

Ms Turner said Stroud, which is currently run by a Green Party minority administration, was given little notice about the change, and believes the current committee system makes the authority "a bit special".

"It's something that enables everybody in the council, all the backbenchers, to have an active role in decision making rather than just scrutiny," she said.

"So it's very disappointing to have that potentially taken away from us."

The Green leader said she also believes the move targets her party.

"It feels like an attack on democracy primarily, but the values that we prize particularly highly, like transparency and accountability, we seek to reflect in Green-led councils," Turner said.

"So yes, to a certain extent, it does feel a bit like an attack on the Greens, and some of the highest profile committee-led councils are Green-led ones."

SDC's Labour group has said it "fully supports" the government's "drive for speed and efficiency in local government", but that it does think the existing system works well for the authority.

Group leader, Katy Hofmann, said: "I worry that a move to the cabinet model would hand more power to the majority party, and sideline the others, which isn't good for democracy.

"So any new structure needs to address that concern, and ensure that transparency and access for residents is maintained."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said it is taking forward plans to "phase out inefficient and unclear committee-led structures".

"We will bring forward the legislation when Parliamentary time allows, and affected councils will have one year to transition from the committee system once provisions come into force."

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