AS THE coronavirus outbreak continues to disrupt everyday life across Wales, the UK and the world, councillors in Blaenau Gwent are to consider handing emergency decision-making powers to the authority’s managing director.
With the UK in the second week of a minimum three-week “lockdown”, the county borough council will meet later this week to consider what steps to take to ensure that decision-making still takes place.
Among proposals to be put before them are to delegate cabinet decision-making – decisions usually made only by the organisation’s most senior elected members – to the council’s managing director, who would also be required to undertake any actions to ensure “critical services continue to operate based on business continuity plans, in order to ensure the council and its residents are protected.”
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The report on emergency governance for coronavirus also includes the establishment of an emergency committee made up of the leader of the council, the leader of the Labour group, two independent councillors and one Labour member.
The report says they would be “consulted on decisions which may fall outside the council’s current budget or policy framework".
It also says: “In addition, the managing director (or her nominated deputy) shall make all reasonable efforts to contact the leader and/or other members of the emergency committee to inform them of the circumstances and of their decisions as soon as reasonably practicable.”
There would be no quorum for the emergency committee and they would be allowed to conduct their business by email, telephone or a digital outlet.
An end date for these recommendations has not been suggestion and would continue “until further notice.”
For powers that are already delegated to officers, the managing director would be able to take over in the even of the relevant officer’s absence.
The report says: “All decisions taken as a result of this temporary delegation shall be recorded on a decision notice and – unless deemed exempt information – displayed for public access purposes on the council’s website, as soon as is reasonably practicable.”
The recommended arrangements would allow the council to focus on key services during the crisis.
The full council meeting to discuss the emergency governance arrangements will take place on Thursday, April 2.
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