Purdah Options

[Simon Kirby]

The other anomaly with the Town Council is that they appoint a Chief Executive whereas the Parish councils employ a Clerk to the Council.

No, it's just a title, and parish councils could, if they chose, call their senior administrator a "Chief Executive", a "parish clerk", or indeed anything else they wanted, it's just that parish councils tend to be a bit more modest and "parish clerk" is the traditional title for a perfectly respectable role. There are plenty of town councils who still call the senior administrator the "Town Clerk" - Thame Town Council for example have just appointed the former NTC Chief Executive as their "Town Clerk".

I don't know where the fashion for calling the senior administrator a "Chief Executive" came from, but it's a singularly inappropriate title as the primary role of the town clerk is to implement decisions of the council, and it is the council collectively (that is, the elected councillors together) which makes the decisions. The town clerk, or any other officer for that matter, can receive delegated authority to make decisions within a prescribed limit (and the statutory name for that officer is then "proper officer" for that specific delegated authority), but the town clerk is not an executive role.

I've never liked the title "Chief Executive" because it confuses the roles.

[Andy Capp]

No, it's just a title, and parish councils could, if they chose, call their senior administrator a "Chief Executive", a "parish clerk", or indeed anything else they wanted, it's just that parish councils tend to be a bit more modest and "parish clerk" is the traditional title for a perfectly respectable role. There are plenty of town councils who still call the senior administrator the "Town Clerk" - Thame Town Council for example have just appointed the former NTC Chief Executive as their "Town Clerk".

I don't know where the fashion for calling the senior administrator a "Chief Executive" came from, but it's a singularly inappropriate title as the primary role of the town clerk is to implement decisions of the council, and it is the council collectively (that is, the elected councillors together) which makes the decisions. The town clerk, or any other officer for that matter, can receive delegated authority to make decisions within a prescribed limit (and the statutory name for that officer is then "proper officer" for that specific delegated authority), but the town clerk is not an executive role.

I've never liked the title "Chief Executive" because it confuses the roles.

A CEO is appointed by a board to 'execute' the wishes of the board. I see the councillors as the board; however, a CEO normally has decision making power. Perhaps this might explain some of the apparent faux pas in recent past?

[On the edge]

A CEO is appointed by a board to 'execute' the wishes of the board. I see the councillors as the board; however, a CEO normally has decision making power. Perhaps this might explain some of the apparent faux pas in recent past?

Yes, the old saying 'a cabin boy trying on the admirals uniform' comes true.

Again, what real responsibility and power does NTC have for such grandeous concepts? I'd even argue that WBC is the real successor to the Borough of Newbury, Mayor and all - not what is little more than an expensive residents association.

[Exhausted]

I'd even argue that WBC is the real successor to the Borough of Newbury, Mayor and all - not what is little more than an expensive residents association.

Newbury Borough was amalgamated into Berkshire County Council and then devolved to WBC when BCC was split up so no argument there.

[blackdog]

Newbury Borough was amalgamated into Berkshire County Council and then devolved to WBC when BCC was split up so no argument there.

The Borough council was amalgamated with Newbury District Council in 1974. This was renamed WBC when it became a Unitary.

WBC has the powers and the assets formerly vested in Newbury Borough Council - which is how WBC get to give away so much of Newbury to developers.

[Simon Kirby]

The Borough council was amalgamated with Newbury District Council in 1974. This was renamed WBC when it became a Unitary.

WBC has the powers and the assets formerly vested in Newbury Borough Council - which is how WBC get to give away so much of Newbury to developers.

Sadly that's not wholly true: Newbury's allotment sites were formerly managed very well by NBC in far happier times when allotmenteers were left to their own devices without the overweening rule-mongering and contempt that NTC's arrival brought. I believe the allotment service would have thrived under WBC's benign neglect, and the allotmenteers would inevitably have been allowed to self-manage and preserve the quirky independence that is unique to a content allotment community. NTC saw the allotment service as a pretext to build their grounds-maintenance empire and their management style, more suited to a prison camp than an allotment service, has made allotmenteering in Newbury a miserable cliquey mean-spirited affair.