Your say / Politics
‘The Green-led committee system in Bristol has been nothing short of shambolic’
The Green-led committee system in Bristol has been nothing short of shambolic. A failed experiment that resulted in a total lack of political direction, back-room deals and zero accountability.
Local decision-making needs to be transparent, stable and effective. Sadly, this has not been the case.
Labour councillors wanted this to work and have acted as a constructive opposition: chairing groups to set up new bus routes, collaborating on a new economic strategy for the city and submitting alternative budget plans, as a few examples, alongside our role scrutinising the administration.
However, it has become apparent to everyone, regardless of their political stripes, that this system wasn’t serving Bristolians effectively.
The government is right to step in. Taxpayers should not be hampered with an archaic governance system that is not fit for purpose.
We have seen council housing schemes scrapped in behind-closed-doors meetings, public assets sold off without a public vote or scrutiny, and councillors avoid accountability for their plans once it’s clear they are unpopular.
Quite frankly, Bristolians deserve better.
Bristol decisively voted to ‘scrap the mayor’. That vote will be honoured. In fact, the government will not facilitate the creation of new directly elected local authority mayors, while the powers of regional metro mayors are expanded.
Local councils using one governance system will make the whole system of local government more efficient and easier for the public to understand and access.
A leader and cabinet system, similar to Parliament, will allow our city to have effective, timely, well-scrutinised decision-making. If the Greens get their act together.
But it’s worth remembering that it wasn’t the committee system that put forward proposals to close 19 libraries, sack all the lollipop people and cut black bin collection to once every four weeks. It was the Green Party.
The committee system isn’t working effectively but neither are the Green Party councillors running it..
This is an opinion piece by Tom Renhard, leader of Bristol Labour and councillor for Horfield
Main photo: Tom Renhard
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