Dundee council lacks scrutiny, report finds

6 Oct 05
The Accounts Commission has criticised Dundee City Council over a lack of effective scrutiny.

07 October 2005

The Accounts Commission has criticised Dundee City Council over a lack of effective scrutiny.

In a Best Value report published this week, the commission said the problem was that all 29 council members sat on all 12 committees. 'This makes the independence of view essential to the scrutiny process difficult, if not impossible to achieve,' the commission stated.

It also pointed out that a consistent focus on policy making in private sessions raised concerns about transparency.

With no overall party political majority on the council, the Labour-Liberal Democrat leadership seeks consensus in dealing with committee business, the report says. On occasions, a discussion was often resolved through a revised proposal being prepared in private recess and then put to the council for a vote.

The commission said: 'While these arrangements achieve a stable political environment, they may reduce the amount of open debate and discussion that is taking place in public. The council needs to consider the balance it is achieving between political stability and transparency.'

PFoct2005

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