| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:What's happened to democracy in Hounslow? | |
| Posted by: | Vanessa Smith | |
| Date/Time: | 11/05/23 12:02:00 |
| I appreciate that things have changed since I was a member - working within the committee system, infinitely more democratic - that has now been overtaken by 'cabinet' governance, which cedes more power to fewer people. But I can say the Mayor was more often than not a process in which members had a vote and often several candidates put their names forward. I think we tended to accept that it was a position more properly for a long serving council member, not a 'bauble' to be used to keep someone happy, or buy support, as seems to be the case all too often now. But this latest debacle has reached an all time low. I also remember the time when several of us proposed that the minority group should be able to pick the Mayor once in every council term - respecting the view that many of them were long serving councillors, that certainly didn't last long. This whole matter is just so sad for local government, it is undignified, undemocratic and unforgiveable. |