Governance Review

In July 2010 the council began a review of the governance arrangements in Haringey. The review looked at how well council meetings were run such as full Council, Overview and Scrutiny, Planning and Licensing. Also included in the review were Haringey’s network of Area Assemblies.

The extreme pressures on the public finances and the resulting reductions in government funding meant that the council needed to make significant changes to the way in which it provides many of its services. This situation made it all the more pressing that our democratic arrangements and structures remain responsive to local needs and concerns, providing a voice for people across the borough.

What the review looked at

Through the review the council looked at new ideas to increase public involvement in the decisions which affect local people. The review also looked to see whether our arrangements in Haringey are fit to enable councillors, partners and local people to meet the challenges we face.

The review was designed to support councillors responding quickly and effectively to the issues people raise.

Also given the financial pressures the council continues to face we looked to make sure that our democratic arrangements are cost effective.

Implementation of changes

A cross-party Delivery Group of Members was established in January 2011, to consider amendments to the council's constitution and a set of protocols for the new governance arrangements.

Changes to the council's constitution were approved at the full Council meeting on 23 May 2011, and the new arrangements were implemented thereafter. Details of the meeting can be found via the Council minutes, or you can download a copy of the May 2011 full Council meeting report (PDF, 703KB).

The cross-party Delivery Group agreed to review the implementation of these changes and the draft protocols within the first year of them being made. As such, the Group undertook an evaluation of how the Governance Review has been implemented since May 2011.

Evaluation of changes

A consultation was carried out from 21 February until 20 March 2012, to seek your views on the changes implemented as part of the Governance Review.

The Delivery Group analysed and considered these results as part of their evaluation, and put forward recommendations to amend the council's Constitution and the Committee's protocols.

The updated protocols can be accessed here covering:

• Area Committees (Word, 70KB)
• Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Word, 74KB)
• The Regulatory Committee (Word, 81KB)
• The Corporate Committee (Word, 70KB)
• and Full Council (Word, 54KB)

Please also see the report of the Delivery Group to Full Council in May 2012 (PDF, 1MB), on the changes to the council's Constitution.

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