Council committees may merge to save cash (From York Press)
Get in touch: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting YORK to 80360 or send an email»
Council committees may merge to save cash
9:41am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in News
TWO City of York Council committees could be merged and two other bodies scrapped in a move which the authority’s ruling group says will save at least £5,000.
If agreed by the Labour group, the council’s young people’s working group and Mansion House advisory group would be removed and its scrutiny management committee and effective organisation overview and scrutiny committee will be combined into one body.
Council “champions” for areas such as children and young people would also be axed. Labour’s deputy leader, Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, said the savings would be used to improve the council’s scrutiny arrangements, and the merged committee could handle the workload of the two existing groups.
Comments(8)
joewatt
says...
11:30am Thu 2 Feb 12
ISeeEverything
says...
12:02pm Thu 2 Feb 12
pedalling paul
says...
12:36pm Thu 2 Feb 12
Gail_Forswins
says...
12:39pm Thu 2 Feb 12
The word scrutiny makes me chuckle given this cabinet's aversion to it. A small example of wanting to avoid difficult questions was illustrated at the Holgate Ward Committee this week. Me and my husband wanted to ask a question over the 600+ streetlights that have been removed without consultation. When it came to the Agenda item - "Have your say" Cllr James Alexander intervened and scrapped it - saying any questions could be raised privately with the councillors.
Talk about removing public debate - and avoiding being questioned in front of the rest of the audience. What happened to accountability...?
Chrido81
says...
12:41pm Thu 2 Feb 12
AJButler
says...
7:11pm Thu 2 Feb 12
The two commitees Labour propose to merge are both chaired by Conservatives.
Now while I'm certain the Conservatives will cheer the cost saving that comes from cutting a committee and the special responsibility allowance the chair gets, one has to wonder why it wasn't a Labour chaired commitee that was cut. Perhaps the cabinet couldn't stomach taking the £4,200 allowance away from one of its councillors?
Perhaps a reshuffle of the chairs of the Council's scrutiny commtiees is already planned, or else Labour would hold the balance of these commtiees and would become its own oversight! How daft is that?
the butler
says...
7:57pm Fri 3 Feb 12
thefutureis says...
10:38am Thu 2 Feb 12
Cant believe they sent this to the Press. They should be ashamed and trying to bury such news