County Council Committee meetings change will allow for swifter decisions

Derbyshire County Council is improving the way individual Cabinet members make decisions which will lead to swifter and more efficient decision-making and cut the authority’s carbon footprint.

Cabinet member meetings are held on a regular basis at County Hall, Matlock for each of the nine council portfolios (areas of council work), for example Clean Growth and Regeneration, Education and Adult Care. 

Under the new process, formal Cabinet member meetings will no longer be required, which removes the need for an agenda and reports to be published online five clear days beforehand, that in turn will improve the speed and efficiency of decision-making. 

There is no legal requirement to hold such meetings in person in this way, and the decision to cease Cabinet member meetings will allow Cabinet members to make decisions on an ad hoc basis, even on the same day if necessary.

Under the new system, a Cabinet member will still receive an officer report to consider in the usual way and will be fully briefed by officers informally before making a decision.

When a decision is made, a copy of the report and a written statement of the decision will be published on the county council’s website immediately to ensure the council remains open and transparent, unless it contains exempt or confidential information.

The public will still have access to all the reports and decisions, unless they are exempt, via the county council’s website.

While attendance at Cabinet member meetings by the public has generally been very low over the years, if an issue under consideration has significant public interest, the decision can be made by the council’s Cabinet, which will still meet in the usual way every three weeks.  Alternatively the Cabinet member could decide to hold an informal meeting to listen to views.

As an Enterprising Council, as well as making decision-making much quicker, other benefits of stopping the meetings include reducing unnecessary trips to County Hall by officers and Cabinet members, helping to reduce the council’s carbon footprint.

The move also brings the council into line with the majority of other councils that already operate in this way.