Improving Our Decision-Making

8/6/2019 Improving Our Decision-Making

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Improving Our Decision-Making

A proposed new approach

A presentation given to the Luton Liberal Democrat Council Group in 2005


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The Current Situation


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Current Problems Lines of accountability and communication

are unclear

Poor coordination within Group and

Executive

Poor coordination with officers

Inability to effectively prioritise

Officer agenda not Group agenda


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New Proposal

To add in two new coordinating bodies

To remove wasteful meetings and duplication of

effort

To abolish NTEs & OTEs

To clarify the remit of meetings

To create opportunities for better communication To create a more logical decision making process


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Objectives To work better as a Lib Dem team

To work better with officers

To increase the accountability of officers

To better control the agenda

T

o ensure the Group is at the heart ofdecision making


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The

New Proposal


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Group Board Function:

Political direction & leadership

Monitor achievement of Group objectives

Help communication between executive

members

Coordinate group media activities Provide a campaigning input into decision

making


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Group Board Reports to:

Group

Membership: Leader

Deputy Leader

Portfolio holders

Group Chair

Group Coordinator

(Clerk: Group Assistant)


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Joint Board

The Councils Board of Directors

Function:

A meeting of the executive and the management team Provide political context for management decisions

Co-ordinate strategic decision making & policydevelopment

T

o monitor the achievement of council objectives Set-up, set the terms of reference & membership, and

receive reports from joint member/officer groups

Agenda planning for Executive and Full Council


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Joint Board

Reports to:

Group Board (Members)

CDMT (Officers) Membership:

Leader, Deputy Leader & Portfolio holders

Chief Executive & Corporate Directors

Key Heads of Service

(Clerk: Group Assistant & Executive Secretary*)


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Additional Issues Coordination ofJoint Working

Group Policy Development

Officer Support

Role of Portfolio Holders


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Coordination ofJoint Working

Joint Board will set-up, set the terms of reference& membership, and receive reports from jointmember/officer groups

This will help the Executive work with the officersin a more coordinated way and ensure that we setthe agenda for joint working

This will mean we can better cover:

Policy development Overseeing key projects

Monitoring of key themes

E.g. Finance Group & Performance Group or

Swimming Pool Group


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Group Policy Development There is a need to strengthen the way the Group

develops policy

Within this proposal there are two suggestions for

how we do this: Establish Theme Groups that meet regularly to

discuss issues

To make space for this (and full Policy Group

meetings) every other Group meeting would have apolicy focus

How do we fit this in with Scrutiny?


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Officer Support We should change the way Democratic Services

support the decision making process byrestructuring to create the post of Executive

Secretary This role would be:

To clerk Executive, Joint Board, and member/officermeetings

T

o follow up the decisions of Executive &Joint Board

To help portfolio holders with their role as Executivemembers

This would free up the Group Assistant toconcentrate on supporting the Group


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Role of Portfolio Holders The aim of this proposal is not to replace

the role of Portfolio Holders or restrict their

ability to act on their own initiative or shape

the agenda

It is to provide a much more coordinated

and structured framework within which theycan operate


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The Full Picture


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Scheduling This proposal should not create more meetings

It should replace the current confused system of

OTEs & NTEs, various ad hoc meetings, and latenight emails we currently use

The different bodies will meet on an alternate basisover a 4 week cycle

Meetings of one body will receive reports from andrefer issues to meetings of other bodies

Thus it will be easier to track and follow up issuesand reports as they move from meeting to meeting


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A Four Week Cycle

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Group Group (Policy)

Group Board Group Board

J

oint Board

Executive Executive


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The Decision Making Process

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Group Group(Policy)

Group Group(Policy)

Group

Board

Group

Board

Group

Board

Group

Board

Joint

Board

Joint

Board

Exec Exec Exec Exec


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Summary Introduction of Group Board and Joint

Board

Better communication and coordination More logical programme of meetings

Clearer political accountability

Greater emphasis on policy making by &within the Group

Better & more appropriate officer support


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Next Steps

Approval by Group?

Work up more detailed proposal with

officers

First Group Board & Joint Board meetings

begin with new Executive

Changes in staffing and officer procedures

phased in over summer

Documents

Improving Our Decision-Making