| Backbench Councillors in Push for Power |
| Tuesday, 31 October 2006 | |
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Southport MP John Pugh has welcomed the proposal in the new Ruth Kelly local government White Paper to give back bench councillors more power . He says: "The White Paper released last weak gives a whole menu of new options - some good, some bad - but the idea of letting the people we elect cross examine quangos and non-elected bodies is a step in the right direction... "I would want to see it made very difficult for non-elected bodies that spend public money to ignore valid criticism. " The basic idea comes from the Select Committees that already exist in parliament. Local police, health, employment and transport services would be just some of the areas back bench councillors could conduct enquiries into as would agencies for housing, utilities and regeneration which answer to no-one locally at present. "Hopefully the public would respond to this by electing and re-electing thosepeople who get their teeth into issues and ask the awkward questions." The MP continues: "Puzzlingly Conservative and Labour councillors on Sefton combined at the council meeting last Thursday to DEFEAT a Lib Dems proposal to strengthen the council's power to voice public objections to health changes - ironically on the same day the White Paper was published ! "The public voice gets heard if they can vote decision makers in or out. In so many area of public life now key decisions are made by an unelected magic circle of 'the great and the good' and the least we can ask is that they are held to account as they move from appointment to appointment. "Call me old fashioned but I prefer democracy to quangocracy " |