A MAJOR overhaul of the way council meetings work is planned in York, to make it easier for councillors to grill the leadership.

A long-term review of the authority's constitution has been going on at City of York Council, and next week the audit and governance committee is due to consider reports and draft new rules for the way meetings are run.

The proposals include a bid to bring in a "Question Time" session similar in format to Prime Minister's Questions, to let backbench councillors grill the council leader or other cabinet members, at a full meeting of the council, instead of the current system that forces councillors to submit written questions in advance.

Similarly, opposition leaders will be able to question the council leader or other cabinet members after their reports to the full council without giving advance notice of their questions.

Cllr Ruth Potter, the chairman of the audit and governance committee, said: "The aim is to allow members to ask questions from the floor and make it more interesting for members of the public, with no pre-prepared answers and freer flowing debate."

She said there had long been dissatisfaction with the way full council works. Business elements like minutes are dealt with at the beginning of the meeting, Cllr Potter added, meaning motions are left to the end of the meeting when there is only time to move and vote on them with no debate, while a long list of written questions is produced but rarely dealt with before the time limit ends the meeting.

New rules could also change the way petitions are dealt with, which Cllr Potter said should make the process more transparent for people who present petitions and make sure their concerns are treated seriously and with respect.

A report, by council legal chief Andy Docherty, said: "Full Council rarely has the legal powers to make a decision to take action requested by a petitioner. As a result the debate can feel as though it has been left without a satisfactory conclusion or clear idea as to whether or how the matter will be progressed."

Under new regime, any petitions with more than ten signatures will be sent to a senior scrutiny committee, who can then decide to invite the petitioners in for a meeting, ask council officers to look at the matter, or even start an in-depth scrutiny review.