Radical reform of City of York Council would elevate its leaders to the status of "tinpot dictators", it was claimed today.

Outrage has greeted the biggest shake-up of York's council in a hundred years as the authority's leaders publish their long-awaited proposals for modernising local government.

At stake is the way local services, from libraries and schools to social services, are run.

Under the new plans, out will go the traditional system of committee meetings, and in will come a new-style leader with a cabinet of "ministers".

The idea is to free up councillors from endless committee meetings - by abolishing the meetings - and give them more time to spend with people in the community.

Council leader Rod Hills said: "The present system probably worked very well a hundred years ago but it is time for a change now."

But opposition parties are aghast at what they see as an attempt to concentrate power in the hands of the leader and his or her chosen few.

Coun Peter Vaughan, leader of the opposition Lib Dems, said: "Labour is trying to impose local tinpot dictators."

And Lib Dem Coun Steve Galloway added: "Other councillors will be marginalised with a nominal 'ward' role and only given retrospective opportunities to question - but not influence - the decisions being taken."

The plans also include "scrutiny" committees to monitor the new cabinet system, but Coun Galloway said: "Labour's proposals are a curious mixture of the kind of Politburos recently rejected in Eastern Europe and the threadbare scrutiny committees which occasionally pad out the US TV listings.

"It is more important than ever that electors seize the opportunity in the elections on May 6 to deny Labour a majority on the new council."

Coun Andrew Armstrong, leader of the Conservatives on the council, said: "The new system may well be more efficient - but I have a sneaking suspicion that it would not be as democratic. The leader would make a decision, the cabinet would back him up and it would be presented to the back-benchers as a fait accompli."

A York Green Party spokesman said: "There would be less accountability."

But Coun Hills said: "We are trying to make the system more open. The other parties have not made any positive suggestions."

Shake-up of the century for 'dreary' city council

York's council faces a big upheaval. Political Reporter Sam Greenhill looks at how the councillor's beloved committee meeting may become a thing of the past - and our elected representatives may be asked to mingle with the people instead

The end looks nigh for City of York councillors who collect taxpayers' money for sitting in dreary, often pointless meetings.

A radical overhaul of the council structure aims to abolish committee meetings and force councillors out into the community to listen to the people who elected them.

It is part of a root-and-branch reform being proposed by council leaders, the beginnings of which could be in place in just six months' time.

Council leader Rod Hills said: "As the new Millennium approaches, so local councils must reform themselves. Members, instead of sitting through endless meetings in the Guildhall, will become the real representatives of their local communities."

He said he wanted to "beef up" the role of councillors in the community, making them go out and get feedback from residents rather than sitting in meetings.

City of York Council is taking its cue from a Government White Paper, which seeks to enliven democracy and make local government more accountable.

The main points of the York proposals are:

Abolish the committee system which occupies councillors in endless meetings, with decisions usually a foregone conclusion, anyway

Reshape the council along the lines of central government, with an "executive" of a leader and cabinet of chief councillors

Like Parliament, the council - or, effectively, its ruling party - appoints the leader who, in turn, appoints members of the cabinet

The rest of the city's councillors will act in a monitoring capacity, checking up on the decisions taken by the leader and cabinet

A series of scrutiny committees, possibly headed by the leader of the opposition party, would be set up. These would have the power to question decisions taken by the cabinet, cross examine council employees and publish critical reports.

Coun Hills said: "At the moment, council meetings can be dreary, a bit of political theatre. The new system will make it clearer who's taking decisions and spending taxpayers' money."

But others are not so sure. Opposition parties fear the system could be less democratic, not more, because decisions would be taken by the cabinet without the benefit of a committee debate. They say it would invest too much power in the leader, and only give the public a chance to have a say too late, after a decision has been taken.

The issue will be hotly debated by councillors at the policy and resources committee meeting tomorrow night.

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