Consultation on New Executive Arrangements

How should the Council be run?

The Council is required to review the way it makes decisions and undertook the consultation exercise below as part of that process.  This consultation is now closed. 

Results of the Consultation

Following the consultation exercise the Council has drawn up proposals for changes to the way it makes decisions.  It is proposed that the Council adopts the revised Leader and Cabinet model with effect from May 2011.  In drawing up these proposals, the Council has considered the result of the consultation exercise and extent to which the proposals, if implemented, would be likely to assist in securing continuous improvement in the way the Council operates.

The proposals will be considered at an Extraordinary Council meeting on 8th November 2010.  The key features of the proposals are:

1. They come into effect on 8th May 2011, following the Council elections on 5th May 2011.

2. The Leader will be elected by the Council at its Annual Meeting on 16th May 2011 for a four year term.  

3. In the period between 8th May and 16th May, the Chief Executive will be able to use existing powers in the Constitution in respect of urgent decisions, consulting with group leaders where necessary. 

4. The Leader will be responsible for appointing the Deputy Leader and members of the Cabinet.  The Leader may remove the Deputy Leader and members of the Cabinet from office.

5. The Leader will be responsible for deciding whether the Cabinet’s responsibilities should be carried out by the Cabinet, individual Cabinet members or officers.

6. The allocation of local choice functions between the Cabinet and the Council will continue as set out in the Council’s current Constitution.

7. The Council will agree the detailed changes to the Constitution required to implement these proposals at its meeting on 28th February 2011, including whether the Council may, by resolution, remove the Leader during his or her four year term of office.

Current System

The Cabinet is the part of the Council which is responsible for most day-to-day decisions. The Cabinet has to make decisions which are in line with the Council’s overall policies and budget. The Cabinet is made up of the Leader and eight other councillors appointed by the Council each year. The Council also decides major policies and sets the budget and Council Tax each year.

The Council also has scrutiny committees which undertake inquiries into matters of local concern. These lead to reports and recommendations which advise the Cabinet and the Council as a whole on its policies, budget and service delivery. Scrutiny committees also monitor the decisions of the Cabinet.

Regulatory functions such as the determination of planning applications and licensing functions are the responsibility of the Plans Committee and the Licensing Committee.

Proposed Changes

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 means that the Council must change how the Cabinet operates following the next Council elections in May 2011 and must choose one of the following options.

Option 1 - New Leader and Cabinet model

The New Leader and Cabinet model gives the Leader more powers than the current system.

The Leader would be appointed at the Annual Council meeting following the elections and would, under normal circumstances, remain in office for four years until the Annual Council meeting following the next elections, rather than being appointed each year. However the Council could adopt rules to enable it to remove the Leader by resolution during that four year period.

The Leader, rather than the Council as at present, would appoint a Deputy Leader and up to eight additional members of the Cabinet and would be able to replace them at any time.

All the Cabinet’s responsibilities would be placed in the hands of the Leader who would be responsible for deciding whether they should be carried out by the Cabinet, individual Cabinet members or officers.

Option 2 – Directly Elected Mayor and Cabinet model

This system involves a council being led by a Mayor directly elected by the people of the Borough. The Mayor’s term of office would be four years. Councils with an Elected Mayor are not able to vote to remove the Mayor during that four year period.

The Elected Mayor would appoint a Deputy Mayor and up to eight additional members of the Cabinet and would be able to replace them at any time.

All the Cabinet’s responsibilities would be placed in the hands of the Mayor who would be responsible for deciding whether they should be carried out by the Cabinet, individual Cabinet members or officers.

The current ceremonial role of the Mayor would continue and would be carried out by a person other than the Elected Mayor. The Council would need to decide on a new title for the person carrying out those ceremonial duties.

Your views

The Council would like to know which option you would prefer to see operating at Charnwood Borough Council.

The Council would also like to know your views on the following questions:

1. Do you think that if the Council had a New Leader and Cabinet model the Council should be able to remove the Leader by resolution?
2. The Cabinet must be between three and ten members. What do you think would be the best size?
3. The Leader or Elected Mayor must decide on who should be responsible for taking decisions on those things the Cabinet is responsible for: Cabinet as a group, individual Cabinet members or Council officers. Do you have any views on how the Leader or Elected Mayor should allocate these responsibilities?

If you wish to take part in this consultation you can do so by completing our on-line form or you can send your views on the above questions by 26th October 2010 to:

Michael Hopkins
Standards and Monitoring Support Officer
Charnwood Borough Council
Southfield Road
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 2TX

E-mail: Democracy@charnwood.gov.uk