THE move to cabinet style administrations in the 2000 Local Government Act was Tony Blair's way of achieving greater central control.

Although not strictly necessary at the time, the Forest of Dean Council adopted a Leader and Cabinet style administration in 2007. The move had little popular mandate, hardly 800 responded to the consultation.

The 2007 Local Government Act reinforced Labour's centralising tendencies to a greater extent with stronger powers for the council Leader with a four year term. Whereas previously the cabinet needed endorsement by full council, the present change makes the Leader omnipotent with powers to choose Cabinet members and in other ways control all council decisions. The Leader will also determine what powers are to be delegated to Cabinet members and officers. For all intents and purposes, a virtual dictator.

The political system does not always choose leaders with particularly high intellect or personal attainments and experience.

In theory, the move to a portfolio executive model was intended to make swifter and bolder decisions – the jury is out if this has improved the speed or quality of the Forest council's decisions, or gained greater public acceptance. Most people either do not understand or do not care.

The scrutiny process has never fully galvanised the enthusiasm of backbench councillors and there are many who feel a sense of powerlessness matched by confusion in some ward electorates who fail to understand how the councillors they elect are not necessarily in a decision making role.

The greater loss of democratic control inevitable in a strong Leader with a four year term is frightening. Together with the weakening of external and internal audit, all this bodes ill for local democracy. Although there are constitutional provisions for removing an incompetent or corrupt Leader, party politics often hamper the constitutional process.

The coalition government intends to amend existing legislation to remove the current prescription and allow councils to decide what particular structure they wish to adopt – including a return to the committee system if they wish. The council will then need to get a democratic mandate by putting their proposed changes to their citizens, either in a referendum to be held at the same time as local elections, or by advocating such a change in the manifesto on which they stand for election.

There is a need to reintroduce more democratically constituted committee systems. Even now, the Leader or portfolio holders can choose to delegate decision-making to such committees.

There is also a need for a proper district-wide referendum when the new legislation is in place – not the half-hearted and ill-informed consultations we have seen in the past.

I do sincerely hope Forest Conservatives take note and make a revitalised committee system the central plank of their 2011 election manifesto. It is their party which wishes greater local control over town halls and eliminate centralised decision making. The electorate will thank them for that.

– Cllr Venk Shenoi (Churcham and Huntley).