Blurred at the edges?

When local government was 'reformed' in 1974 there was a massacre of council seats. District councils replaced borough councils, urban district councils and rural district councils. The new councils cover a wider geographical area than the ones they replaced. The new councils often have artificial boundaries that do not reflect patterns of living. Thus in Sevenoaks District Council's area there is little to bind Edenbridge and Swanley together. Likewise there is little to connect Snodland with Tonbridge which are in Tonbridge & Malling Council's area, or Speldhurst with Sandhurst (Tunbridge Wells Council).

The Local Government Act 2000 swept away the committee structure of local authorities. It was replaced in Kent by the cabinet system which places power in the the hands of a very few councillors. The dangers inherent in this are obvious particularly when one political party has a huge majority, as is the case with Kent County Council and some of the district councils. Non-cabinet councillors are confined to community liaison roles and pleading for scraps to be fed to their electorate.

When a party has a huge majority the risk is that the cabinet system may politicise local government officers, particularly senior officers who work closely on a daily basis with cabinet members.

It is vital that the role of elected councillors is kept distinct from that of officers. Officers must be independent and give impartial advice and not act as the administrative wing of any political party.

Has this distinction been blurred since 2000? Is the current relationship, behind closed doors, between officers and cabinet members too cosy?