 |
 |
I have to say, my experience is exactly the opposite of what you state below. Councillors are not concerned with following their own policies, and are much more interested in their own pet projects and as for making officers answerable to them, you must be joking! Most councillors have no idea even what their own policies are, let alone getting the officers to follow them. Major highway engineering works regularly happen with no consultation whatsoever, and when we complain, we are told that this was a "one off" and it will never happen again. Six months later it happens again, and again, and again, and again. I am familiar with the council's policies, but it would appear that neither the councillors nor the officers have any intention of carrying them out. As far as scrutiny committees go, they just seem to support their mates i.e. the other councillors, and it would appear that there is nothing in terms of incompetence that an officer can't do and there is no sanction. Asking questions is a complete waste of time when the councillors are uninformed and uninterested and the officers just carry on and do whatever they want, secure in the knowledge that the councillors will ensure that they keep their jobs no matter how useless they are. South Gloucestershire Council may be an exception, but from what I've read and seen, I doubt it. On 18 October 2012 18:50, Ralph Bagge <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I think you should continue this discussion somewhere else too. > > Local government is subject to checks and balances and officers are > answerable to elected members. > > Major highways engineering works are subject to consultation. > > I suggest you check your council's constitution and their overview and > scrutiny committee - details should be available on their website. Your > local councillor is at liberty to request an officer's report. > > I have found with local government that asking questions to elicit facts > gets a better response than uninformed criticism. > > > On 18 Oct 2012, at 18:34, Ian Perry wrote: > > > Thank you Nick, but this is about Society and about Cycling. > > > > It's also interesting that the officers in a council can by-pass elected > representatives when they obtain money from the civil service (Welsh > Government in this case). Is there any accountability for the money > highway engineers spend or the results in terms of safety or delays? > > > > Other than with Sustrans, there appears to have been no input in the > case I've raised by anyone other than the highways engineers, which raises > questions about the role of democracy. We can elect people, but they have > no say in key decisions! Is there any point in lobbying politicians when > highway engineers can by-pass them and do not need to justify their > decisions or actions? Communities and citizens seem to have no chance of > influencing the decisions of unelected highways engineers. > > > > Ian > > > > >