All the attention on the Council this week has been around the change in Leadership.

However, equally significant constitutional changes have been rushed through in a sneaky lib/dem amendment as part of the deal between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, that could create gridlock at City Hall and put front line services at risk.

Under the ill thought out changes rushed through on Tuesday in order to secure a last-minute deal, all decisions made by the executive will have to be second-guessed by a scrutiny committee. This will at best hold up decision making for months and at worst make it completely impossible.

It will cause total gridlock at City Hall, with any decision, however minor, having to go to at least two committees and possibly on to full council for a decision to be made – a process that can take up to six months.

It also undermines the independence of Scrutiny, which we have carefully developed over many years, and will bog down the work programme with minor issues that do not need to be discussed and do not add value for the people of Bradford.

Another part of the decision – to stop officers moving small funds between budgets without an agreement by full Council – is just as damaging. It is hard enough to make difficult decisions as it is. This proposal will prevent officers from responding to changes in funding and costs and could put at risk front line services if there are budget pressures in areas such as social care or education. By the time a decision can be made it may well be too late – it will now take 90 people up to 3 months to make a decision that could previously have been made by 2 people in 24 hours.

What Bradford district needs is clear, decisive leadership from someone with a clear mandate to deliver, not bureaucratic gridlock.

Hardly an example of local democracy at it’s best. I’m not sure who disappoints me most – the Lib/dems who came up with such a daft proposal, then sat on their hands and refused to vote – or Labour who fell for it.

The amendment to the constitution in full – see sections 1 a) and 5.

To be moved by Councillor Sunderland

Seconded by Councillor Middleton

That the amendments to the Constitution listed in the Appendix to Document “AH” submitted to the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee on 5 March 2010 be adopted and implemented as proposed subject to the inclusion of the following additional recommendations.

1.        That Article 6 (Overview and Scrutiny Committees), the Executive Procedure Rules and the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules be amended to include

a)provisions which require all recommendations to the Executive to be considered by the appropriate Overview and Scrutiny Committee in advance of inclusion on the Executive agenda.

b) provisions that the chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee be a member of the group forming the Executive and all other overview and scrutiny committees be chaired by members of the opposition.

2.        That Article 12 (Area Committees and Neighbourhood Forums) be amended to include a power for Area Committees to undertake consideration and scrutiny of the delivery of local services and to make recommendations on service delivery to the Executive and/or full Council including the voluntary sector commissioning process.

3.        That Part 2 (Articles of the Constitution) be amended to include an additional Article: Group Leaders’ Briefing setting out a requirement that the Leaders of the 3 largest political groups shall attend regular briefings with the Chief Executive and Strategic Directors.

4.        That Article 7 (The Executive) be amended to include a requirement that each member of the Executive shall undertake a monthly briefing for the spokespersons of each of the 2 largest political groups in opposition.

5.        That Part 3C (Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules) be amended to:

5.1.   Prohibit the virement of resources where the transfer of resources is from budgets for capital charges and/or statutory taxes and levies.

5.2.   Authorise the appropriate officers to transfer resources within a revenue budget up to a maximum amount of £25,000.

5.3.   Require requests for virement of revenue budget over £25,000 or which result in a change in the level of service provided to be submitted by the Assistant Director Finance to Council for approval where there is disagreement.

6.        That the City Solicitor be given delegated authority in consultation with the Leaders of the 3 largest political groups to make all the necessary amendments to the Constitution of the Council to implement these additional amendments.