To approve a governance model for Herefordshire Council.

Council considered a report by the Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee which recommended the implementation of a hybrid cabinet model at the council from May 2021. The report was introduced by the Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee who proposed the recommendation and expressed his thanks for the work undertaken by the re-thinking governance working group and officers to produce a recommendation in accordance with the timelines. He noted that the working group had met on 10 occasions to discuss matters in depth and had sought to engage all members in its work. There would be further opportunity for member engagement ahead of the final structure that would be determined at the annual council meeting in May 2021.

The following principal points were raised during the debate:

·         Disappointment was expressed that there had not been wider engagement with members in the development of the proposal. It was noted that a third of members had not participated in the survey or attended any workshops.

·         Some members expressed disappointment that a committee system had not been recommended by the working group. It was felt that the hybrid cabinet model could be an interim position and the governance structure at the council could be reviewed again in the future.  

·         The quality of the work undertaken by the working group was commended. 

·         The proposed model was felt to incorporate positive elements from the committee system and the leader/cabinet model. It was noted that the new system would be subject to review 12 months after its implementation.

·         The proposed model would increase the involvement of all members in decision-making processes and democratic accountability.

·         A member claimed that the recommendation represented a ‘U-turn’ from the administration which had stood on an electoral platform of introducing a committee system. This claim was refuted by some members who explained that the recommendation had been resolved by a cross-party working group of the council and was a step towards realising a modern and accountable system of governance.

·         There was concern that those members with full time employment might be restricted from participating fully in the new system.

·         It was noted that a change to the governance structure would need to be accompanied by cultural change at the council in order to prove effective.

The Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee explained that members had the ability to contribute to the executive decision-making process by exercising the call-in of decisions through the scrutiny committees. The importance of an efficient decision-making system had been proven during the COVID-19 pandemic and the proposed model ensured that streamlined decision-making would continue.

The Vice-Chairwoman of the Audit and Governance Committee seconded the recommendation and explained that the working group had been assisted by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny. The recommendation had been the consensus of the working group and had been agreed unanimously by the Audit and Governance Committee. Workshops would be hosted in the period up to May 2021 to assist in the development of the hybrid cabinet model and there would be a review of the model following its implementation.

The recommendation in the report was put to the vote and was carried by a simple majority of Council.

RESOLVED: That having regard to the work undertaken by the Re thinking Governance working group and the recommendation of audit and governance committee, a hybrid cabinet model of governance is approved with implementation from annual council in May 2021.