Dear Editor
At December’s Full Council meeting, Council Leader Sam Corcoran used his “Leader Speaking Time” to bewail rising risks, demand for care services and rising inflation and predicting £20m shortfalls in next year’s budget.
He stated this would be a real test of the Council’s new Committee system, as each Committee looks to make savings or cut services.
Press coverage went on to explain that the new Committee System allows Council decisions (on how it operates and how money is spent), to be made by politically proportionate Committees – A technically correct statement but one which collapses in practice.
Firstly, the Labour-Independent coalition that has run Cheshire East Council since 2019 and introduced the Committee system, means that the largest (Conservative) Party may enter debate but is effectively excluded from decision-making (such is politics!)
But in addition, a deeply troubling feature of the Committee System to date has been the significant reduction in decisions for elected members of any Party to make!
The majority of papers brought forward to Committees in recent months have been for elected members simply to ‘approve’ or to ‘note’.
Whilst officer experience should be and is valued, the Committee System is currently devaluing the democratic mandate of elected members to represent their residents – a scenario raised and recorded at meetings, by Councillors from across the political spectrum.
As we enter this difficult budget-setting period, it remains to be seen to what extent elected Councillors will be meaningfully involved in decisions that will impact on our residents pockets and the services they receive.
Yous,
Cllr Janet Clowes
Conservative Group Leader
Cheshire East Council
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