Peter Kent-Baguley

Commission & Co-ordinate

The Blairite central command and control dream of stripping local councils of their assets and services is set to drive a coach and horses through local democracy in Stoke-on-Trent. Already, of course, Children and Young People's Services are in the hands of the private profit-making company, SERCO. The government finds it congenial to deal directly with the directors of a private company who will do what is required of them; that is so much less bother than having to deal with elected councillors who just might have a contrary view about what's best for their local area. All this despite the government spin on devolution and sometimes, double devolution! And then we witness the occasional Westminister charade of ministerial hand-wringing over the ever decreasing turnouts at election times.

Our Elected Mayor has been a star government pupil and learned his anti-democratic credentials with distinction. Why bother to take a major proposal such as out-sourcing the Council's services, which covers at least two major departments, to the General Purposes Committee and thereafter to Full Council, as the Constitution would suggest.

Far better to short circuit the time-consuming and argumentative democratic process and refer the report to the Executive and Members' Board (ie the Council Manager's grace and favour set-up for the Elected Mayor and his oversized Cabinet of 10 portfolio holders). So, the meeting of the Board yesterday evening approved the Report and the only democratic input from Councillors will be via Call-In of that decision and the debate at the meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee to which the Call-In will be referred. The cobbled coalition of Labour, Tory and Lib Dems ensures a majority at the so-called Scrutiny Committee to reject any amendments. Even if through absence the coalition majority fails, the contrary decision/s sent back to the Exectuive will be simply rejected. Full stop on democracy.