WBC to abandon leader model??? Options

[Richard Garvie]

I'm not sure if this is old news, but a piece in the paper refers to a consultation on the future shape of the West Berkshire leadership model. I was under the impression that the Strong Leader model had already been recommended for adoption??? This is a slight change to the current model, which means the leader of the council would be elected for the four year term, rather that being elected each year by the council.

The Lib Dems seem to favour going back to the committee model, which personally I think is outdated and adds a lot more red tape and length of time it takes to make decisions. I'd like to see an elected mayor and cabinet. Thoughts>?

[JeffG]

How about the Dear Leader model, which is what they have in North Korea?

(You might gather that I haven't a clue what your post means.)

[Richard Garvie]

It's on page 3 of the NWN, under the title "How West Berks ruled "a sham"!!!

Strong words from the Lib Dems again about their views, but as I said on another thread, all leadership models would give them little say when the Tories have two thirds of the elected members.

EDIT: May I just add that this must have been what the electorate wanted at the last election. If the situation is to improve, there must be a genuine alternative to the Tories, not just rattle throwing.

[On the edge]

I'm not sure if this is old news, but a piece in the paper refers to a consultation on the future shape of the West Berkshire leadership model. I was under the impression that the Strong Leader model had already been recommended for adoption??? This is a slight change to the current model, which means the leader of the council would be elected for the four year term, rather that being elected each year by the council.

The Lib Dems seem to favour going back to the committee model, which personally I think is outdated and adds a lot more red tape and length of time it takes to make decisions. I'd like to see an elected mayor and cabinet. Thoughts>?

Certainly agree committee model is outdated and doesn't work at all well in today's environment. The elected leader model has been seen to work - certainly does in London. Where if we forget politics for the moment - both administrations were accountable through the one head.

West Berks hasn't worked well since inception. At best, just pedestrian. There has been a distinct lack of leadership - politically and operationally. In other words its just been managed. Nothing wrong with that but if you want inspiration or innovation you need leadership!

Whatever I might feel about your politics and policies I have to agree you have drive, determination and a willingness to grab the system by the neck and make it deliver what you want. That's leadership and actually that's what we need to see.

[Simon Kirby]

Certainly agree committee model is outdated and doesn't work at all well in today's environment. The elected leader model has been seen to work - certainly does in London. Where if we forget politics for the moment - both administrations were accountable through the one head.

West Berks hasn't worked well since inception. At best, just pedestrian. There has been a distinct lack of leadership - politically and operationally. In other words its just been managed. Nothing wrong with that but if you want inspiration or innovation you need leadership!

Whatever I might feel about your politics and policies I have to agree you have drive, determination and a willingness to grab the system by the neck and make it deliver what you want. That's leadership and actually that's what we need to see.

I don't see the work of WBC as essentially any diffenent from any other commercial organisation. They need inspirational leadership just like any other organisation does, but the notion that laymen should provide that leadership is frankly perverse. It's appropriate that the executive should report to an elected board, but that's it.

[On the edge]

I don't see the work of WBC as essentially any diffenent from any other commercial organisation. They need inspirational leadership just like any other organisation does, but the notion that laymen should provide that leadership is frankly perverse. It's appropriate that the executive should report to an elected board, but that's it.

I think that's the problem in a nutshell. West Berkshire Council is not kike a commercial organisation - would that it was! There are two distinct parts. That is the 'operational bit' - in other words the service delivery elements. These are, in simple terms, sets of tasks that can be costed. In other words, they can be done by any competent party. The other bit - the executive, or the council is the democratic element. They are supposed to 'manage' on all our behalves. For this bit - we can have many representatives pitching in - as we do now, the committee system. If you don't have strong effective leadership of those representatives - nothing gets done. So, some suggest having one representative - a Mayor, who would necessarily need to be a strong leader.

It is quite credible that a layman - or Concillor, or MP, or company director, can be a leader. Its not (inspite of what many management schools might say) a skill that can easily be trained. Its more an attribute.

If we don't get this right - the 'operations' bit, just runs on its own - out of control.

[Richard Garvie]

I think that's the problem in a nutshell. West Berkshire Council is not kike a commercial organisation - would that it was! There are two distinct parts. That is the 'operational bit' - in other words the service delivery elements. These are, in simple terms, sets of tasks that can be costed. In other words, they can be done by any competent party. The other bit - the executive, or the council is the democratic element. They are supposed to 'manage' on all our behalves. For this bit - we can have many representatives pitching in - as we do now, the committee system. If you don't have strong effective leadership of those representatives - nothing gets done. So, some suggest having one representative - a Mayor, who would necessarily need to be a strong leader.

It is quite credible that a layman - or Concillor, or MP, or company director, can be a leader. Its not (inspite of what many management schools might say) a skill that can easily be trained. Its more an attribute.

If we don't get this right - the 'operations' bit, just runs on its own - out of control.

London actually uses the Elected Mayor model which I once campaigned for before I got into radio. I must have only been 14 at the time, but looking back now, I believe the strong leader with cabinet option is best and I think this is what the Tories had suggested recently. All I would say is that you are totally right that the electorate here vote by party, not on who the leader will be or manifesto. If the Lib Dems and the Tories showed a bit of aspiration and ambition, people may engage with local politics again. Until there is a significant manifesto on the table that inspires people to vote for one particular party instead, people will continue to vote like they have before or by what is happening on the national stage.

Regardless of what happens at the local elections, we need a leader who does what he / she is supposed to do and that is lead. We also need an effective opposition and a couple of independents wouldn't hurt either. One thing we have lacked in West Berkshire is candidates who are actually inspired to speak out against the traditional party views here and try something different.

[user23]

One thing we have lacked in West Berkshire is candidates who are actually inspired to speak out against the traditional party views here and try something different.

Not true. There were independent, Green Party, UKIP and BNP candidates last time.

[On the edge]

Not true. There were independent, Green Party, UKIP and BNP candidates last time.

You are right of course BUT they didn't speak out! Arguably just did sufficient to wave their party flag. I suppose that's what gets me locally - I really don't think national partry politics has much use in local government. Yetm the local politicians seem intent on picking sterile arguments on points of bureacracy, or simply jumping on the latest populist bandwaggon. Don't think I'm alone in that. So lets have a bit of charisma and a bit of this is what I can do for Newbury. far better than 'this is what we decided at our conference'

[Iommi]

Not true. There were independent, Green Party, UKIP and BNP candidates last time.

Yes, but 3 of those did speak along party lines.

[Richard Garvie]

I said candidates, but I meant members. I think the candidates at the general election should all stand in the upcoming locals, and hopefully they will be elected. Brian Burgess (agree with his views or not) is the sort of person who will get stuck in and bang the drum for town centre business. Adrian Hollister will help contribute to green issue and help shape enviormental policy. We need to move away from the party politics and have a wider representation on the council of people who actually want to grab the authority by the scruff of the neck and actually get things done.

[Iommi]

Paradoxically, I quite like living an a place like Newbury, with it's slow to change attitude. We'd otherwise be living in a West Berks version of Swindon or Basingstoke!

[user23]

I said candidates, but I meant members. I think the candidates at the general election should all stand in the upcoming locals, and hopefully they will be elected. Brian Burgess (agree with his views or not) is the sort of person who will get stuck in and bang the drum for town centre business. Adrian Hollister will help contribute to green issue and help shape enviormental policy. We need to move away from the party politics and have a wider representation on the council of people who actually want to grab the authority by the scruff of the neck and actually get things done.

Brian Burgess received 158 votes out of a possible 80,387, which was 0.3% of all votes cast. Whilst he's claimed this is because people vote on national issues in a general election I'm not so sure. He will no doubt bang the drum for town centre business as you've said but I've always got the impression he'd like to turn the clock back 20 years. Is this the sort of change you were looking for?

Personally I'm all in favour of properly planned change if it make for a better town but Newbury is a conservative area and even the Vision is too radical for some I doubt anything more than this would receive much support.

[Iommi]

Personally I'm all in favour of properly planned change if it make for a better town

And there is up to 80,000 opinions with the vote of what constitutes a 'better' town.

but Newbury is a conservative area and even the Vision is too radical for some I doubt anything more than this would receive much support.

And long may it continue; else we will be living in a place like Basingstoke.

Beyond the very conservative constituents we are, the problem with Brian Burgess is that he promoted no tangible policies.

[On the edge]

Personally I'm all in favour of properly planned change if it make for a better town but Newbury is a conservative area and even the Vision is too radical for some I doubt anything more than this would receive much support.

Good! Many in Newbury would doubtless support the post by Iommi. However, even 'no change' has to be managed. There would certainly be nothing wrong with a Leader who came along with a 'no change' policy - so long as that was exactly what they meant. I suppose for so long we've had 'party politics' instead.

So here is a challenge - what is 'no change' or even 'planned incremental change'>? What does good look like? I am being deadly serious because I suspect you'd end up with something like the Town Council's vision - rather than that created by WBC.

The Town Council's vision would actually deliver what would seem 'no change' - in other words maintaining Newbury in its historic context. That would mean having a proper 'Design Guide' for all developments and building changes so that the Georgian architecture was retained. Sweeping away the psudo victoriana. Promoting Newbury as a place for 'one hit - overnight' type entertainment and so on. Really was a great vision, but lost in the mire of party and inter bureacracy squabbling