Newark and Sherwood District Council changes the way it makes decision on behalf of local people

A council has changed the way it will make decisions on behalf of local people.

The governance structure at Newark and Sherwood District Council has moved away from a committee system to a cabinet style.

The new system is led by a leader, in this case David Lloyd, who then appoints their cabinet of five portfolio holders and leader of the opposition (Labour Group leader Paul Peacock).

Each portfolio holder, which have now been appointed, has a specific area of responsibility and delegated powers to make decisions within their remit.

In the Newark and Sherwood District Council cabinet structure, there will be five areas of responsibility.

The portfolio holders are:

Strategy, performance and finance — council leader David Lloyd

Organisational development and governance — deputy leader Keith Girling

Economic development and visitors — councillor Rhona Holloway

Homes and health — councillor Tim Wendels

Cleaner, safer, greener — Roger Jackson

The district council said most authorities across the UK operated under this model.

As a result of the new system, the decision-making process will be quicker and individual councillors will be named against decisions which allows for greater accountability.

Decision-making will continue to be transparent, with all decisions made by cabinet and portfolio holders being published on the council's website.

Such decisions will be reviewed by the policy and performance improvement committee chaired by councillor Ronnie White and vice-chair Penny Rainbow. This committee is made up of 15 members, representing the political composition of the council, and any serving district councillor can request, at any time, that this committee look at any activity the authority is undertaking.

The new arrangements also allow for greater input from residents and tenants. For example, there will be a tenant engagement group that will allow tenants to express their views on decisions made which will affect them.

Statutory functions, for example planning, audit and licensing will remain the same as their current system.

The move was approved by the full council on at Tuesday night's meeting, with no opposition.

Leader David Lloyd said: “The district council will continue to deliver a huge array of services to residents and tenants across the district including managing over 5,000 council homes, maintaining parks and open spaces, operating the environmental health and food safety service, collecting your bins, operating the Palace Theatre and Newark Castle, supporting our local economy, bringing investment into the district and dealing with all planning applications. That will not change.

“What will change is the way in which we make decisions that affect these services. We will be able to respond more quickly to challenges that arise and we will be held more accountable for the decisions we make.

“A cross-party councillor working group has led these positive changes. That same working group will continue to ensure that we can make any adjustments and ensure its delivering good transparent decision-making for our residents and then, in six months’ time, a report will be taken to audit and governance committee to resolve any of those.

“Every councillor has a role in scrutinising the work and decisions of the district council. I want to encourage all members to step forward with their questions as, with the new cabinet model, there are many opportunities for us to all work collectively together, with the residents at the heart of our decision-making.”

At the meeting, Labour Group leader Paul Peacock said: “I want to thank everyone involved in bringing us to this position today. I personally think that it [the new cabinet structure] will be transformative in the way we work.”

This change comes in advance of the county gearing up for a devolution deal for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, which could see a combined authority set up for the East Midlands.

This combined authority would become the third largest in the country and could see its first Mayoral election take place in May 2024.

A full calendar of council meetings is available on the authority's website.