TAMESIDE Council has defended the decision to axe two of its scrutiny panels after claims decisions were made ‘behind closed doors.’
The overview and strategic capital and monitoring boards will be disbanded, with a new scrutiny co-ordination and strategic improvement one being formed.
A working group found the former’s remit was too restrictive to have a meaningful impact, especially when compared with other local authorities.
But the decision to also ditch the latter drew criticism from Conservative councillors, especially as the capital monitoring part will come under the executive member for finance and resources’ job.
Cllr Doreen Dickinson said: “I’d like to know behind which closed doors and for what reason was this decision made?
“If you’re going to disband a highly functioning committee, there has to be some critical reason.
“It was the finance committee chaired by the late Cllr Middleton that alerted us to the scandal of Tameside Enterprises Ltd, which saw £2.5 million lost and I know many people lost their jobs.
“Recently, it is the capital monitoring panel which discovered he LEP, using a 13-year-old contract, was not value for money.
“Councillors not on the committee could see the agenda and know exactly how each department’s budget was being managed.
“Neither I nor my group knew the finance committee was being taken back to the executive cabinet, where no opposition nor back bencher has any say whatsoever.
“So much for openness and transparency.
“There should be a full report on strategic capital and monitoring and the reason why it was disbanded, not just five lines in a report.
“It makes finance a closed shop to all but cabinet.”
A report into the decisions to get rid of the panel simply states: “It is proposed that in order to contribute to the streamlining of the decision making process and to more properly reflect where responsibilities lie the planning aspects of the panel’s remit should be transferred to the Speaker’s Panel (Planning) and the capital monitoring aspects of the panel’s remit should revert to executive cabinet with the executive member (finance and resources)/director of resources reporting to executive cabinet on a quarterly basis.”
It adds the new panel’s function will have responsibility for developing and managing scrutiny in the council and co-ordinating and monitoring the work of the scrutiny panels, as well as scrutiny of corporate services and policies, resource planning, human resources and strategic improvement.
And Tameside Council’s leader, Cllr Eleanor Wills, insisted the changes will free up time for officers and not change the current way decisions are made.
She said: “It’s incumbent of me as a leader to take stock and recognise the work our directors need to be getting on with.
“The two boards are not decision-making boards and as leader of the opposition you’re afforded the time you need with officers to discuss all those matters.
“It’s important our officers get on with the doing. All of the decision-making elements will go through executive cabinet, as they have always.”