Local leadership, local choice

Postscript

What you should do

• Councils should start or continue an open dialogue with local people and other stakeholders about the shape and style of their local governance.
• In the light of this, councils should reassess their current working methods and consider:
• reducing the number of committees;
• reducing the number of members of those committees;
• reducing or abolishing attendance allowances;
• introducing prototype cabinets;
• introducing overview and scrutiny panels;
• ore-evaluating their "whistleblowing" procedures;
• introducing standards committees with independent members;
• reviewing the codes of conduct they have in place for members;
• reviewing member/officer protocols;
• introducing independent committees to advise on councillor allowances; and
• refocusing the efforts of councillors on becoming the engine for public participation in decision taking;
• the arrangements they have in place for training both newly elected and serving councillors.
• They should also consider how local people will be involved in decisions about the future shape and style of their local governance.
• Local people should consider how they want to be governed locally; and
• they should tell their council.
• Councils should draw up proposals for a move to a new constitution, including:
• definitions of roles and delegations;
• standing orders;
• a timetable for implementation; and
• any necessary transitional arrangements.
• If local people want a directly elected mayor they can petition their council when and if the legislation is enacted.
• When and if legislation is enacted, councils should:
• hold a referendum, if a directly elected mayor is proposed; and
• resolve to adopt a new constitution according to the timetable included in it, copy the plan to the Deputy Prime Minister, make it available to local people and announce the proposal and the implementation timetable in the local press.