Overview

This summer, a valid petition calling for a change in the way Sheffield City Council makes decisions was submitted to the Council. The petition called for the Council to move to a ‘committee system’ model of governance and a referendum will be held on this issue in May 2020. We are therefore looking at how a committee system could operate in Sheffield, and, at the same time, exploring how we could enhance and improve the current Leader and Cabinet model to inform the two option referendum.

The Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (OSMC) is working with the Council’s Deputy Leader to develop a set of principles on which any future decision making structure should be based, and looking at the strengths of different decision making models. This will include considering issues such as: speed of decision making, cross-party member involvement, schemes of delegation, openness, transparency & accountability, scrutiny & checks and balances, forward planning of decisions and cost.

The OSMC wants to hear what people think about this – so we are launching this online call for evidence. This will run alongside our schedule of meetings where we’ll invite a range of different interested groups and organisations along to give evidence. This work will help to shape the governance proposals that the Council will publish in advance of the referendum setting out how a committee system or a modified Leader and Cabinet system would work.

This call for evidence will run until the 17th November. All information gathered through this process will be published and considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee. If you’re interested in coming along to a meeting to give evidence in person, please contact us on scrutiny@sheffield.gov.uk or 0114 27 35065