Labour promised make Barnet Council’s decision-making system ‘more transparent’ in its 2022 election manifesto, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Barnet Council is set for a major shake-up of its decision-making system under plans set out by the Labour administration.

The changes would see the local authority move from a committee system of governance to a cabinet system, meaning most decisions would only be taken by the single political group that holds power on the council.

Labour claims it will deliver on a manifesto pledge to make decision-making “more transparent, efficient and accountable”. A council report suggests it could also lead to a one-off saving of £60,000. But the Conservatives, who are opposed to the move, say the current committee system is more “inclusive and democratic”.

Under the current system, in place since 2014, committee members are nominated based on their political group’s representation on the council, meaning the ruling group – which has been Labour since last year’s election – has a majority on each committee and picks the chairs from among their councillors. However, opposition members can still ask questions and comment on proposed decisions before they are put to a vote.

Switching to a cabinet system would mean most decisions being made by the council leader and members of the ruling group at a public meeting, where no Conservatives can participate. Separate scrutiny committees would be set up to hold them to account, with members drawn from both the ruling group and the opposition. They would also still retain existing committees such as planning, licensing and audit.

Council leader Barry Rawlings tabled a motion during a full council meeting in July calling on town hall chiefs to consider moving to a cabinet system “to ensure speed of decision-making and clear accountability for decisions”. The motion was passed with the support of members of the Labour administration, and a consultation on the proposals – which also include plans to allow members of the public to question the leader and present deputations to meetings – has now been launched. A final decision on whether to implement the new system is expected to come in May.

Commenting on the plans, Conservative group leader Dan Thomas said: “The committee system ensures councillors from all parties are at the table when decisions are made. It is a far more inclusive and democratic system, which is why the Conservatives switched to it several years ago.

“The cabinet system places power into the hands of just ten councillors, who issue diktats with very little recourse.’’

In response, council leader Cllr Rawlings said Labour’s manifesto was clear that it would “ensure decision-making is more transparent, efficient and accountable to the public”.

He added: “Under the cabinet system it is much clearer which councillors are making the decisions, and this means those councillors can be held to account by the public much more easily than under the committee system.

“Cabinet meetings will also be held more frequently – on a monthly basis – compared to only four to six times a year under the committee system. As we have a big vision for the borough with a huge transformation programme, monthly meetings are key to ensuring we are delivering this and our manifesto efficiently. Monthly cabinet meetings also provide more opportunity for the public to hold us to account.”

Cllr Rawlings pledged to create a “robust overview and scrutiny system to ensure there is much wider involvement of all councillors in cross-party policy development”, and he claimed policy development and scrutiny would be “more inclusive and democratic than under the Conservatives”.

To take part in the public consultation on the proposed governance changes, which is due to run until 25th January:
Visit https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/council-committee-meetings-consultation

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