Protecting Local Democracy during the Covid Crisis
As we come to the end of the second phase of lock-down and wait to see if the Government’s five tests for modifying it have been met, Cheshire East Council has hosted its first ‘virtual’ Cabinet Meeting, following a whirlwind of staff and member training and IT upgrades.
In amongst the social isolating, the extraordinary courage of health, care and essential services employees, most council services have continued quietly and effectively ‘behind the scenes’.
However, one Council function that has been halted is Overview and Scrutiny (OSC) - a vital process for ensuring decision-making by the Labour/Independent coalition is constructively evaluated by the wider, cross-party membership and is fit for purpose.
Most Cabinet papers on Tuesday 5th May had already been through the ‘OSC’ process, however the final paper; “The Procurement of a Housing Development Framework” had not. This was not added to the ‘Rolling List” of future papers until early March by which time non-essential internal and public meetings were being curtailed, followed of course by the Covid Lock-down.
This important paper represents a significant deviation in Cheshire East Policy, including the potential sale of Council Land Assets at below market value and the use of S106 monies for development on Council-owned land, to meet specific Cheshire East Housing needs. There are sound reasons for wanting to explore this approach, but the legal implications are complex and may need Secretary of State Approval.
The Centre for Public Scrutiny (April 2020) is clear in its advice to Councils during the Covid-19 crisis:
“Some have suggested that scrutiny should be suspended now in its entirety”, .... “This is wrong. Councils do not have the discretion, even at this time, to decide to dispense with a substantial part of their governance framework. Councils have to give effect to scrutiny and support its work.”.
This crisis will not be ending soon. Suspending scrutiny arrangements for a few weeks was necessary – while remote working arrangements were being set up and councils tackled the immediate need for an operational response. But this suspension cannot be indefinite. Councils are democratic Institutions and so we will be seeking the immediate resumption of the Council’s Scrutiny Function because; “scrutiny activities do not take senior officers and senior members away from the task in hand – they are the task in hand”. (CfPS April 2020)
Cllr Janet Clowes
Conservative Group Leader
Chair: Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Notes:
The Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS)
COVID-19 support to councils: Guide 2: Approaches to scrutiny during the crisis
https://www.cfps.org.uk/?publication=covid-19-guide-2-scrutiny
Cabinet: 05 May 2020
Item 13: Procurement of a Housing Development Framework
