Councillors have called for Cheshire East Council to look at how it delegates decision-making to officers following an angry backlash over the location of mobile tips and the hike in parking charges and hours, writes Belinda Ryan.
Cllr Sue Adams (Con) has called for the whole process to be looked at so changes like the introduction of Sunday and evening parking charges cannot just be “sneaked through” by officers as a delegated decision.
She told the recent meeting of the audit and governance committee: “I think we need to do some work about when it’s appropriate for decisions to be delegated to officers, need to look at the timescale for referral, which is far too short, and we need to look at the lack of transparency to residents.
“The two most recent decisions that, to my mind, have caused issues is on the location of mobile HWRCs [tips], that was on March 19, and this most recent one, the increase in car parking charges on March 27 and the introduction of Sunday charging and evening charging.
“And the fact that those can just sneak through as an officer delegated decision seems totally inappropriate to myself.”
Acting monitoring officer Janet Witkowski said the decision would have been delegated to officers originally by the relevant committee.
She said she had since raised with the corporate leadership team that it must be made clear within any report which is asking for a delegation, what that actually amounts to.
The Conservative councillor was backed by Labour’s Ken Edwards (Bollington) and Judy Snowball (Macclesfield).
Cllr Edwards is angry Bollington hasn’t been included as a location for the council’s mobile waste service after Cheshire East closed the town’s tip permanently last year.
When he learned of the officer’s decision, he posted on Facebook: “A mobile service was promised on a monthly basis across Cheshire East including Bollington to be placed in the library car park.
“On March 14, a senior officer issued an officer’s decision allocating collection points. Bollington was not among them.”
He has since tried to challenge this and had hoped to bring the matter up at last month’s environment and communities committee meeting.
But acting chair Liz Braithwaite (Macclesfield, Lab) refused to let anyone discuss the HWRC decision at the meeting, on the advice of officers.
Cllr Edwards, vice chair of the audit and governance committee, said when decisions were made by officers which would have a negative impact on a locality, ward councillors should be informed in a timely manner.
Macclesfield councillor Judy Snowball agreed.
She told the audit and governance committee: “I think the entire arena really needs to be evaluated, audited in terms of communication, timeliness, appropriate times of releasing decisions, the appropriacy of a referral, the amount of time that is given for that.”
Committee chair Michael Beanland (Poynton, Con) was critical of how the decision was taken by highways officers regarding parking charges.
Price hikes, together with Sunday and evening charges, are due to come in next month.
Cllr Beanland said: “There’s no explanation of the decision [in the officer’s decision report], and when you consider this is a financial decision, and that’s certainly something that should have gone back to a committee.”
He also criticised the fact the changes had come in so quickly after charges had only just been introduced in the former free towns in December.
The far left BBC will never investigate incompetence at a Labour run council, only if it was Conservative or Reform run would they jump at the chance.
This delegated authority to officers could have been hidden by verbose reporting. I recently researched an item only to find it in a 300 page item at pages 280 onwards and it was 10 pages long. Is it any wonder elected representatives have difficulty. Surely the new CEO should be asked to account for this as he has been in post for some 14 months now.
Sack all the councillors and officers and replace them with chimps from Chester Zoo. They would do a better job.
The key issue Directors, Senior Executives and not being held accountable for strategic failure, incompetence. They are not held responsible, they are not taken to capability and dismissed as would happen in the private sector.
I have asked the BBC to investigate the incompetence into Cheshire East Council. The millions of pounds wasted, where the council tax payer will pick up the bill.
I am sure the BBC will ignore my request. It is imperative officers are held account for incompetence, failure .
Councillors who fail to deliver should be barred from office together with officers.
In a strictly regulated environment this just happens, air line pilots, financial services people regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Police Officers and so on.
The list goes on except in Local Government.
The citizens of Cheshire East have witnessed millions of pounds wasted.
From HS2, car parks, mobile phones the list goes on and on.
Action is required.
Councillors should hold the Chief Executive and Directors to account.