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#Sheffield is having a referendum on 6th May alongside the local elections: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/campaigns/scc-governance-referendum
I">https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/camp... think this is important. So, here& #39;s a thread on my take, why I reckon party politics is getting in the way and my thoughts on how changes could be implemented (if voted for)...
I">https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/camp... think this is important. So, here& #39;s a thread on my take, why I reckon party politics is getting in the way and my thoughts on how changes could be implemented (if voted for)...
Full disclosure:
- I will be voting for the committee system in the referendum, a change to the current governance system (reasons and reservations to follow);
- I& #39;m yet undecided as to which way I& #39;ll vote in the local elections, but it& #39;s between Labour and the Green Party.
- I will be voting for the committee system in the referendum, a change to the current governance system (reasons and reservations to follow);
- I& #39;m yet undecided as to which way I& #39;ll vote in the local elections, but it& #39;s between Labour and the Green Party.
So, why will I vote for a change? Partly, I just think things need shaking up occasionally. I also happen to believe strongly in disbursed accountability, which I feel the committee structure promotes. I have reservations too about the current cabinet structure and how they act.
A recent Tweet by the leader of the Council, which promoted an article about the upcoming referendum as balanced (when I didn& #39;t feel it was), has contributed to me taking more of a proactive interest in this debate.
Here& #39;s that Tweet: https://twitter.com/Bob_of_Hills/status/1379729989944360961?s=20">https://twitter.com/Bob_of_Hi...
Here& #39;s that Tweet: https://twitter.com/Bob_of_Hills/status/1379729989944360961?s=20">https://twitter.com/Bob_of_Hi...
My objections to this article were based on the fact that:
a) it wasn& #39;t balanced; and
b) it signalled to me that there were particularly business interests at play.
That said, however, I don& #39;t totally disagree with all of the reasons against the new committee structure...
a) it wasn& #39;t balanced; and
b) it signalled to me that there were particularly business interests at play.
That said, however, I don& #39;t totally disagree with all of the reasons against the new committee structure...
Committees can be clunky and self-serving in their own right. Having lots of committees could make things messy. And yes, there is the potential for all of that to slow down decision-making. I& #39;ve certainly seen this happen in a number of places across a variety of sectors...
...But I also feel strongly that transparency, accountability and representative voices influencing priorities are more important than those potential downsides. Furthermore, I don& #39;t actually believe that having the committee system necessarily infers those things.
Alongside a committee structure comes (or should come) a to-be-agreed set of principles and ways of working that can help to circumvent the things which people fear from the committee system. The Council doesn& #39;t need to be an expert in those things; Sheffield& #39;s citizens can help.
Ideas from design thinking to co-production can assist with that side of things in my view. And adopting principles from consent-based systems, such as sociocracy (see https://www.sociocracyforall.org/sociocracy/ )">https://www.sociocracyforall.org/sociocrac... could help to alleviate the less-appealing aspects of the committee system.
[Open to challenge] As a side note to these thoughts, I& #39;ve also found it hard to see the public e-debate (i.e. on Twitter) *generally* follow part lines with the Labour Council leaders resisting change and the Greens pushing for it...
It& #39;s clear why they would take those positions given what they have to lose or gain, respectively. But I don& #39;t think it& #39;s helpful to an open, informed and independent conversation in the lead up to making an important choice. I guess I believe in ideas above who says them.
Thankfully, that& #39;s the end of that ramble. Above all else, turn up and vote on the 6th May, and keep holding people to account thereafter.
P.S. Please excuse the typos.
