Agenda item

Chief Executive to report.

The Chief Executive provided an update on Governance Arrangements.   He referred to the results of the survey which had been issued to all North Devon Council’s Councillors. The results of the survey had been circulated previously.

The Chief Executive drew the Committee’s attention to the following:

·         11 responses had been received (of a total possible 42).  This was 26%. 

·         He assumed that any Councillors who had particularly strong opinions on the matter would have completed the survey.

·         Of those who responded, 6 were newly elected Councillors and 5 had been Councillors prior to the May 2019 election.

·         When asked whether they felt engaged and involved in decision making, 73% had said yes, 27% no. This equated to 80% of the existing Councillors feeling involved, and 67% of the new Councillors.

·         When asked if they felt that the speed of decision-making had improved 40% said yes, 60% said there was no difference.

·         When asked if they felt that the quality of decision-making had improved 40% said yes, 20% said no and 40% said there was no difference.

The Chief Executive advised that in his opinion:

·         The responses were mainly positive.

·         There were a few comments which would need to be looked at in order to help anticipate further issues.  There was mention of a feeling that officers were making decisions without consulting Members.  Further engagement between officers, Members and Ward Members would need to be encouraged. 

·         The new governance arrangements had been made following consideration by the working group.  The new model of operation had met the criteria of speeding up the processes and also, not to incur additional cost to the Local Authority. He did not feel that there would be any need to look at any further major changes to the new arrangements.

The Committee discussed:

·         There were sometimes difficulties in obtaining answers from officers. Some had received no answers to their queries, others experienced delays.  This was not the case with all departments/teams.

·         New Councillors had the opinion that the staff were very hardworking.

·         Councillors could also help to create better working relationships with the officers by coming in to the offices to meet up in person.  They could also take a look at their own working practices and methods to see if they may need to be adjusted.

·         Council and Committee meetings were pleasant to attend and worked well. 

·         Councillors who had been elected prior to May 2019 had found that the new system was working well and it was easier to get opinions heard. Staff also appeared more at ease and more able to speak to the Councillors and consider opinions which may have been ignored previously.  The new system appeared more open.

·         The previous Executive system had been in situ since 2000.

In response to questions and comments from the Committee, the Chief Executive confirmed:

·         If any Councillors experienced problems or delays in obtaining information or answers from officers they should contact him direct. “Customer focus” was one of the Council’s objectives and hence any issues needed to be addressed.  Talks had been taking place between the Senior Management Team in relation to customer focus.

·         Approximately half of the Members were new to Local Government.  They had brought enthusiasm to the role which had ‘rubbed off’ on others. The new Council was working particularly well together.

·         An agreement had been made recently with the Lead Members to hold regular forums to discuss issues which affected Members and their wards.

·         Councillors needed to work as a peer group and encourage and develop together as the system could only operate with the commitment from the Councillors. 

RESOLVED that the update on Governance Arrangements be noted.