Post by Martin Francis in a personal capacity
It may have escaped readers' attention that as well as local elections a Referendum is taking place in Bristol on May 5th.
What has this got to do with Brent?
The Referendum will consider whether to replace Bristol's Mayoral system, which centralises power in the hands of the Mayor, with a Committee system which spreads power across a number of key committees giving backbench councillors more power and encouraging shared decision making and a more consensual approach to local politics.
In line with national policy Bristol Greens will be supporting the Committee option.
In August 2020 A Brent Labour Group Task Group on improving democracy and scrutiny chaired by Cllr Thomas Stephens rejected the Committee system but put forward many proposals. It is worth checking to see how many recommendations were actually implemented LINK . A member of the Task Force, Cllr Kieron Gill, resigned becaus he felt the report was too soft.He pointed out that over the previous 10 years the number of elections held within the group, over the 4 year period of an administration, has gone from 48 to 8. Gill claimed that his call for more elections and term limits was answered by 'democracy causes arguments and disharmony' and that this sounded more like more like a North Korean apparatchik than any kind of Democrat.
He later resigned from his Brondesbury Park seat while Cllr Stephens joied the Cabinet.
Bristol and the West Momentum recognise the problem of a system based on the concentration of power in one person's hands:
Muhammed Butt will have been in power as leader of Brent Council for 10 years this month having replaced Ann John at the Labour Group election following the 2012 local election. This was not his first taste of power - he had been her deputy leader.
He is not Brent's Mayor, that is a mainly ceremonial position with the added role of chairing Council Meeting, but he heads the 8 person Cabinet. In this role he has gradually gathered more power to himself. The number of posts elected by the Labour group has shrunk to just four: leader, deputy leader, and the two chairs of Scrutiny Committee.
Other posts are appointed by the leader and rubber stamped at the Council AGM.
Butt is so confident of Labour victory that he has asked for applications from Labour candidates for consideration for the various roles on offer (and their accompanying additional allowances) BEFORE the actual council election takes place. on Thursday. The deadline for applications is tomorrow.
Readers will remember that Muhammed Butt also succeeded in changing the rules so that he could continue in office beyond the previous limit. The Task Group Report recommended 8 years.
This system puts the power of patronage in the Leader's hands and tomorrow's deadline restricts any internal moves over the political complexion of the administration.
The Cabinet system leaves most Labour backbenchers without any real power to affect decisions, limiting their role to rubber stamping Cabinet decisions at Full Council meetings. Other parties have even less of a role. It assumes that backbenchers and opposition councillors have nothing of value to offer apart from being a conduit of residents' complaints to officers.
It is a waste of potential talent and fresh views to the detriment of the common interest of residents that could be harnessed through a Committee system.
With no leadership challenge, attention will focus on the deputy leadership. Although there has been an assumption that this would go to a woman to maintain gender balance I understand that this is not a rule. Indeed Michael Pavey was Butt's deputy for a while before the two fell out.
Mili Patel and Ellie Southwood have been mentioned as possible candidates. Shama Tatler is said to be concentrating on a possible parliamentary career in a Watford seat. Daniel Kennelly has been mildly critical of the administration lately LINK and is a possible outsider candidate.
Given the almost one-party state in Brent the Scrutiny Committees are of key importance and need chairs and members able to take a robust approach. The Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee is currently chaired by Cllr Ketan Sheth who has moved wards from Tokyngton to Wembley Central. The Resources and Public Realms Scrutiny Committee is currently chaired by Cllr Roxanne Mashari who is not standing in the council election. It is no secret that she had a tough time in running that committee on the terms that she felt were appropriate and necessary. The Topical Issue agenda item that she introduced was not favoured by those in power. The Joint Meeting of the two committees to discuss the Casey Review was suspended at one point because of problems in deciding who would chair the meeting.
At the recent Fairer Housing Hustings there was cross-party support for an over-hauling of the scrutiny system in Brent with housing being so important that some felt it needed a scrutiny committee of its own.
A key appointment will be the Chair of the Planning Committee. At every meeting the chair reminds participants that this is 'a non-political quasi-judiciual committee' bound by various plans and policies. There have, however, been concerns of indirect political influence on the committee with the most recent being the case of Abdi Abdirazak who allegedly was removed for voting the 'wrong way'. LINK The result is that Labour councillors tend to abstain, rather than vote against, problematic applications, with the lone Conservative councillor the only 'Against'. This means that multi-million applications that will change the face of Brent can go through on the vote of a handful of the 8 councillors on the committee.
It is not clear whether some external committees such as the nine-borough NW London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will have its Brent representative nominated by the appropriate Brent Committee or by the Leader himself.
An issue that has resurfaced in this election is that of the number of potential councillors from the extended Butt family. The persistent rumours from a number of sources allege that 10 family members are standing. The response has been that there is no way to prove a connection, that shared family interests in politics is not unusual (eg the Johnson family), and that anyway each councillor is selected democratically by a ward panel and not by the council leader.
Muhammed Butt's position as leader currently seems secure although there are a number of new councillors this time round who may prove to be rather more independent. A letter circulated last July to selected Labour colleagues, apparently from within the Labour Group, = criticising his personal qualities, behaviour and communication skills as Labour Group leader, appears to have gained little traction. It included the suggestion that there was little to distinguish him from a Tory or Liberal Democrat in terms of of his political beliefs and especially his failure to fight Government cuts.
Given the leadership's tight hold on Labour councillors and the fate of the handful who have demonstrated some independence, it is important to elect councillors from other parties, or Independents, who will actively hold the Council to account. With the local newspaper a shadow of its former self there is a genuine democratic deficit in the borough.
Away from formal party politics there are a number of influential networks based on religion, shared heritage, residents' associations, voluntary organisations, campaigning organisations and trade unions that make an impact. It is noteworthy for example that the Alperton Liberal Democrat candidate has been endorsed on his election literature by the former chair of the local residents' association.
Labour is looking vulnerable to the Liberal Democrats in Alperton and Sudbury and apparently are concerned about Barnhill, scene of the legal challenge to the previous by-election result. Conservatives have been piling in the leaflets there and have been desperately distancing themselves from national events around Boris Johnson. Greens are hoping for a strong showing and moving into second place in some wards, sending an important message to Labour that residents care about environmental and social justice.
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