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Why do we have City and County Councillors?

Iwannahurl · 2013-08-07 17:26:42

I'm led to believe that the Executive of a Local Authority is statutorily accountable to the elected members. Is this true, and if so what is the legislative basis for it? My impression is that Local Authority officials can often ignore Councillors when they feel minded to do so, and that there doesn't seem to be any…

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07-08-2013 6:26pm

#1

Iwannahurl

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I'm led to believe that the Executive of a Local Authority is statutorily accountable to the elected members.

Is this true, and if so what is the legislative basis for it?

My impression is that Local Authority officials can often ignore Councillors when they feel minded to do so, and that there doesn't seem to be any mechanism by which the elected members can impose their will. There are obvious exceptions to this, such as the many examples of questionable rezonings pushed through by Councillors against the wishes of officials.

Is this a reasonable perspective on the way some Local Authorities currently function in relation to day-to-day matters? If so, why do we have Councillors at all? Are they just glorified messengers?

If this is an incorrect perception, what is the formal process by which Councillors make the Executive statutorily accountable?

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