Committee System: Council Leader Asks for More Time

Folkestone & Hythe District Council has voted to delay by one year the implementation of the move to a committee system to allow more time for councillors and officers to prepare for the change.

A move away from the current cabinet-led decision making process to what is seen as a more democratic committee system will still be implemented, just one year later than planned. It also involves rewriting the council’s constitution.

A committee system will give more councillors more say in decisions which affect their residents and we, Labour and Liberal Democrats campaigned for this change in the run-up to the May 2023 local elections.

It is perhaps fair to say that with Green, Labour and Lib Dem councillors occupying 23 out of the 30 council seats, this was one change which residents supported, especially given the way in which the previous Conservative administration ignored people’s wishes, in particular over the now cancelled Princes Parade development.

That said, governance is not an issue that comes up very much, if at all, when we talk to residents on the doorsteps who simply want the council to work and to listen to them. Since we’ve been running the council we have received very positive feedback on both counts.

The council has sought advice from professionals and they recommend that additional time is needed to introduce the committee system – and we agree. That’s why we proposed a delay.

We regret that our Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors did not support taking things a little slower but we remain committed to moving to a democratic committee system. We are also committed to getting it right.