IN response to your call for opinions about change for local government (LET, Soapbox, November 3), I would like to say that the Local Government (Organisation and Standards) Bill was published in March 1999 and, among other changes, looks to impose new political management structures on local government.

Summary of proposals:

Abolition of committee system - councils will be required to review their structure, moving away from the existing committee system, to either an elected mayor who appoints a cabinet drawn from councillors; a cabinet, with a leader appointed by the council or an elected mayor with an appointed officer acting as a council manager. In the case of a directly elected mayor, councils will require a referendum, initiated by the council or by a petition signed by a suggested 10 per cent of the electorate.

Two tiers of councillors - councillors would be designated as executive or non-executive members. Executive members would have a particular area of responsibility assigned to them. Executive and executive committees would not be required to reflect the political balance of the council as a whole. No more than 10 councillors or 15 per cent of the council would be executive members. Overview and scrutiny committees, made up of non-executive councillors would oversee the executive. Otherwise, councillors would have little direct activity. Only planning and licensing issues would continue to be debated in committees or full council. There are fears that the reforms could be used to stifle local democracy.

Standards committees - the bill proposes that councils should draw up new codes of conduct and set up standards committees to monitor the code. There would be two national bodies dealing with complaints against councillors. Although there is a need to stamp out corruption and wrong-doings that have arisen from many Labour councils over the years, Conservatives say this scheme threatens to swamp councils in yet more bureaucracy and red tape.

Conservatives also believe the overwhelming majority of councillors do not want to see directly-elected mayors and cabinets. A survey of councillors in Britain by Joseph Rowntree Foundation found only three per cent favouring directly elected mayors and just 13 per cent in favour of the abolition of the existing committee system.

Labour is bullying councils into change, robbing them of any local discretion or choice. Conservatives believe that councils should be given more freedom to develop their own arrangements, and also oppose the imposition of the supplementary vote electoral system for choosing a mayor, because SV rigs the electoral system, preventing the election of the most popular candidate; nor does it reduce instances of tactical voting.

Conservatives would cut back on red tape, interference from central government and the imposition of unwanted regional government; favouring strengthening local and parish councils.

Reforms of local government should be aimed at increasing the power of local communities and encouraging greater voter participation in local democracy and Conservatives wish to see more scrutiny to ensure that Labour councils do not get away with more cronyism and mismanagement.

COUNCILLOR J HIRST, Beardwood with Lammack Ward.

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