County Hall representatives will later this week consider plans for a radical shake-up of the Isle of Wight council.
Full Council on Wednesday evening (watch live from 6pm) is due to decide whether to approve a draft constitution setting out a new committee system of governance to replace the authority’s current cabinet model.
Approved new committee system
Councillors agreed to move to a committee system at an extraordinary full council meeting on 1st May 2024, with plans scheduled to take effect from May this year.
Most local authorities have a cabinet system where full council elects a leader who appoints and chairs a panel of executive councillors who meet regularly and can rapidly make decisions, according to national body the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Councillor Hub.
The cabinet model also includes a system of overview and scrutiny where councillors not part of the cabinet can closely examine decision-making.
More councillors actively involved in decision-making
Councils that operate under a committee model, for example Bristol City Council and Sheffield City Council, have a variety of committees which look after different areas of policy.
Under this system, more councillors are actively involved in making decisions but decision-making can take longer, the LGA has said.
Full Council’s meeting will begin at County Hall at 6pm.
The Report
You can read more about the plans in the council paper for the meeting, embedded below for your convenience.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
