Opposition asks who really runs council

Opposition councillors have questioned who runs Herefordshire Council after leader Jonathan Lester rejected the will of full council to set a new objective to the chief executive officer.

The council passed a motion without notice in July asking council leader Lester to consider an additional objective for chief executive Alistair Neill to ‘champion high standards of conduct and a strong commitment to public service throughout the council’.

However, Councillor Lester said he did not believe it was necessary as there is a similar requirement in place for all council employees.

But Councillor Anthony Powers, who proposed the motion, said the decision did not show the authority in a good light.

“I’m struggling to see why this couldn’t have been included straight away as a signal of the rightness of the principle involved,” he said while speaking at full council on October 12.

“Chief executives of all organisations delivering public services should take personal responsibility for ethical standards in their organisations.

“What I’m saying reflects the view of our independent person.

“I, and more importantly the public, can only wonder who really runs this council.

“Is it the leader, or does the chief executive lead the leader?”

Coun Lester said he was leading the council and that the requirement was ‘just superfluous’.

“It’s not that the decision to include that requirement has been overturned or somehow ignored,” he said.

“To add it in, is just superfluous. It’s already a requirement of the chief executive.

“To insinuate that that is not something that he has to do is missing the point.”

“I can tell you that in my position, I’m not retiring and I’m leading this council.”

Coun Powers said he could not recall that such a requirement was part of the chief executive’s annual objectives despite being a group leader and a member of the employment panel.

“It may be taken for granted that it is part of the job description of the chief executive officer but this council needs to demonstrate public facing leadership on these issues which is what the Localism Act and its reinforcement by the committee on standards in public life requires,” he said.

Councillor Jinman, a former lay member of the House of Commons Standards Committee, said chief executives of all organisations delivering public services should take personal responsibility for standards.

He said: “I’m still somewhat confused about a motion being passed by a previous council meeting directing the leader to take away and enact the wish of the council of that time somehow not actually happening.

Coun Lester said: “I was asked to consider the motion with regard of the chief executive’s objectives.

“I have considered it and I don’t think it was necessary.”

Council chairman Brian Wilcox said that when the annual review goes ahead coun Powers’ succesor could make appropriate representations during the group leader meetings.