Agenda and minutes

To receive a report of the Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council submitted a report on the results of the public engagement exercise on executive arrangements as required by the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.  The Act had introduced two models on which the Council had been required to consult on, namely, a directly elected Mayor and Executive and an elected Leader and Executive.

The Executive, at its meeting held on 12 October 2010 (Minute 316 refers), having considered the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the current elected Leader and Executive model, supported the adoption of this model. 

Councillor M Wood described the public response to the consultation as pathetic.  He suggested that a better response might have been achieved if a third choice of a committee-based system, had been included.  He praised the Observer newspaper for its consultation exercise, which had demonstrated a preference for the committee system.  He hoped that the coalition Government would publish legislation that would permit local authorities to consider introducing such a system.

The Leader disagreed with these views and referred to other areas of the country where the public had also been underwhelmed by this consultation exercise.  He believed that the public believed that the Council did a good job and were not concerned about this issue.

Councillor K A Barnes agreed with Councillor M Wood and commented that the Council was being asked to agree something that people did not want.

Councillor J Hedley suggested that the public had shown great maturity by rejecting the directly elected Mayor and Executive model, which he believed would be a disaster in East Herts.

Councillor V Shaw believed that the low response could be explained by the lack of a third choice.  Councillor Mrs M H Goldspink expressed her preference for the committee system.

Council noted the consultation and approved the Executive’s recommendation as now detailed.

RESOLVED – that (A) the results of the consultation exercise in respect of the two models be noted; and

(B)      having regard for the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of the elected Leader and Executive model , this option be adopted and implemented three days after the next District elections in May 2011.

(Note – Councillors K A Barnes, Mrs M H Goldspink, A M Graham, M Newman, V Shaw and R Taylor asked that their abstention from the decision above be recorded.)