Calls to scrap the cabinet system

County councillors in West Sussex are to be asked to vote on the idea of scrapping its current cabinet system of governance and replacing it with a committee-led system.

A notice of motion will be tabled by Dr James Walsh at a meeting of the full council tomorrow (Friday). With the council having recently received hugely critical reports into its children’s service and fire and rescue services, Dr Walsh (Lib Dem, Littlehampton East) said there had been a ‘systemic failure of political leadership’. The current system sees nine members of the majority party – in this case the Conservatives – making the majority of day-to-day decisions. Dr Walsh would rather see a committee system, where all councillors play a part in decision-making. Such systems were scrapped when the Local Government Act 2000 came into force, with cabinets seen as more efficient. The meeting will be held at County Hall, Chichester, at 10.30am.