Chief officers’ opinions were all included in their salaries

IAM pleased to see that the days of an elected mayor to run the city are over, and a more democratic system of committees is to replace it.

This is something you’ve been kind enough to publish my letters about before when I’ve said that the city used to be have chief officers, highly skilled and qualified in their own fields, backed up by their own committees, to run the city, such as parks, transport, education, refuse collections, medical matters and probably others that I’ve forgotten.

Yes, the chief officers did receive a big salary, quite rightly, but nowhere near the ‘winning the lottery’ figures that are handed out like sweets to children now.

They were dedicated and stayed in their jobs, didn’t leave after a few years with a golden handshake, to do the same with another local authority.

No need to pay huge sums of money then on surveys, or expert opinion.

The chief officers were the experts. Their views and opinions all included in their salaries, which were modest and reasonable, compared to now.

It was democratic because their own committees could listen to the proposal and advice from their own particular chief officer and vote on whether to go ahead with whatever was proposed.

They then became knowledgeable themselves about that aspect of running the city.

Any proposal then had to be referred to the main city council when once again it could be proceeded with, or not, according to the evidence presented. More democracy at work.

Wild, hare-brained schemes like some of the ones we’ve had suggested over the last 10 years or so would be quickly thrown out before even a penny of our money was wasted on them.

P Collins Bristol