Executives and Scrutiny in Local Government: An Evaluation of Progress

Abstract

New ‘executive’ political management structures (elected mayors, cabinets and leader etc) have been operating since May 2001 throughout England. This paper attempts a preliminary assessment of the experience and impact of these new structures, including the extent to which they are meeting the government's objectives. Interim conclusions include the perception that the new executives have speeded up the process of decision-making, but that overview and scrutiny remains problematical, with most authorities struggling to establish an influential role for it. There are also problems regarding the role of council meetings and the operation of the forward plan/key decisions mechanism. There is a discernable pattern in the strategic responses of local authorities to the requirements of the Local Government Act 2000. Three ideal-typical responses are identified and discussed; executive dominance, opposition incorporation and executive marginalisation. It is concluded that the extent to which the government's objectives in introducing the new system have been met is limited. The potential of local executive government to provide a more democratically viable system than the one it has replaced remains considerable. But that potential is currently being realised only on a limited and sporadic basis.