A call to scrap West Sussex County Council’s cabinet style of governance and replace it with a committee-based system will be discussed next week. Earlier this summer, inspectors were highly critical of Fire & Rescue and Children’s Services in the county, prompting Dr James Walsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats, to declare there had been a ‘systemic failure of political leadership’ at the council. On Monday (September 9), members of the governance committee will consider his notice of motion which calls for a change. As it stands, the cabinet is made up of members of the controlling party – in this case the Conservatives – with individuals able to make decisions on key issues. The proposed committees would be proportionally made up of members from all parties, with all being involved in the decision making. Dr Walsh wants such a change to be in place by May 2020. His notice also cited a ‘high turnover rate’ among senior officers and a ‘churn’ of cabinet members as evidence of an ongoing problem. A report to the committee said members may wish to consider whether there was a link between the quality of services offered and the way the council was governed. It also said that staff turnover was ‘not necessarily a product of governance’ and advised that it could happen just as much under a committee-based system. If the governance committee supports the notice, it will be submitted to a meeting of the full council on October 18 for debate. The governance meeting will be held at County Hall, Chichester at 2.15pm. (By Karen Dunn - Local Democracy Reporter)
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