Elected Executives kicked into touch (Stockton Liberal Democrats)

Stockton Liberal Democrats <info@stocktonlibdems.org.uk>

Elected Executives kicked into touch

November 2, 2007 5:06 PM

"ELECTED EXECUTIVES KICKED INTO TOUCH"

Local Liberal Democrats are delighted that the fact of "Elected Executives" has bitten the dust in the new Local Government Bill.

Cllr Suzanne Fletcher, who led the campaign against the proposal several years ago when it was first mooted in Stockton said at a meeting last night "Thank goodness that this unworkable and undemocratic idea will not be put before Councils up and down the land. I hope we have seen the last of it, and are grateful to colleagues in the Houses of Commons and Lords for making sure that it was kicked into touch. Government should stop trying to meddle with Councils but instead let them have the power and money they need to provide local people with the services they need and want".

The Labour Government wanted people to elect a cabinet as one group, which would have made coalitions and power-sharing almost impossible. If one person in the cabinet was found not to be doing their job properly it would have been impossible for other councillors to replace him or her. Once elected, the cabinet would run the borough without needing to have approval for policies from the rest of the council. Local government would be even further removed from local people.

The proposals could have led to very difficult circumstances where the Cabinet was in continual conflict with the rest of the Council.

Despite Liberal Democrat opposition Stockton council supported the idea, the only council in the whole country to do so. This showed that it had almost no support anywhere in the Country Local Liberal Democrats had lobbied Liberal Democrat MPs and Peers about how unworkable and undemocratic it could be.

As a result a Liberal Democrat amendment in the House of Lords to take these proposals out of the Government bill was passed, and the House of Commons has now accepted that amendment.