Council posts multiply by two

Nov 24 2007 by Dave Black, The Journal

LABOUR council chiefs were accused of a ‘political fix’ yesterday over plans to double the number of councillors on a new single authority to run Northumberland under a shake-up of town halls.

The county council’s successful bid to the Government for a single unitary council to replace the current two-tier system proposed a total of 67 councillors on the new authority.

Now the Department for Communities and Local Government is being asked to double the number to 134 – which would provide two elected councillors rather than just one for each of the existing 67 county council divisions.

Yesterday, supporters of the move said it would help tackle a potential democratic deficit, amid growing fears that 67 members is insufficient to do the work of Northumberland’s existing 306 county and district councillors.

But opposition MPs and councillors claimed it wrecks the credibility of the winning bid, which promised major savings and a simplified and slimmed-down council structure.

They say the move is also motivated by Labour’s desire to retain political control on the new authority and avoid potential blood-letting when Labour candidates are chosen for elections due to be held next year.

It is understood Labour bosses want more councillors to avert the threat of bitter in-fighting between existing county and district councillors over who wins the nominations to contest the 67 seats.

The proposal has been discussed at recent meetings between communities minister John Healey and Labour county councillors in London. In July, the DCLG backed the county council’s single unitary bid in preference to a rival submission by the six districts for two unitary authorities along urban and rural lines.

Yesterday, Castle Morpeth Borough Council leader, Conservative Peter Jackson, said: “This questions the basis of the bid for changing to a single unitary in the first place, and represents a short-term fix to help Labour out of its internal political problems.

“The whole idea of the bid was that the 67 councillors would have a strategic role, supported by local area committees and 26 community forums. I would ask, what will these extra 67 councillors do for their allowances.”

Hexham Tory MP Peter Atkinson said: “It seems to defy the logic of going for a simplified structure with 67 councillors to now propose doubling that number.”

Sue Bolam, leader of the Conservative and Independent group on the county council, said the move cast further major doubts over the credibility of the original unitary bid.

“I appreciate that this would help to tackle a democratic deficit as there are concerns about one councillor having to do the work of two or three existing county and district councillors. However, I don’t see why we should go along with this to help the Labour Party sort out its problems. This proposal would probably also cost the new council another £1m in councillors’ allowances.”

Blyth Valley Borough Council leader Dave Stephens said: “I am fully in support of a move like this because it would address a democratic deficit and ensure that residents of Northumberland get the best representation. It is good to see that the county council has accepted this and that Government ministers are listening.” County council leader Peter Hillman said the proposal had nothing to do with appeasing Labour councillors facing the prospect of losing their seats under the shake-up. “The original bid was for 67 councillors, but I have had quite a number of representations and concerns about the potential for a democratic deficit.

“Many people feel 67 is too few councillors for the new authority, given the expanding role.

“Going down from 306 councillors to 134 is still a huge reduction on the present numbers. It will cost the new authority about £1m extra but there would still be overall savings of £16.4m.”

Durham County Council’s successful bid for a unitary authority envisages 126 councillors to replace the current 375.