Government to abolish committee system in drive to simplify governance for councils in England

In a written ministerial statement, Jim McMahon said the shake-up was part of efforts to simplify governance arrangements for local authorities in England and “ensure local communities have the right mechanisms to engage with their council”

The minister said: “At present there is a complex and opaque system which allows councils to operate one of three governance models: cabinet arrangements with a directly elected council mayor, leader and cabinet, or the committee system.

“As a result, councils are left with a complicated governance system. This can be confusing to the taxpayer, particularly in the case of the committee system, which can be unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less efficient decision-making.”

The minister said the “vast majority” of councils in England already operate the leader and cabinet model.

He argued that abolishing the committee system would ensure all councils operate an executive form of governance, “providing clarity on responsibility and accountability, and improving efficiency in decision making”.

McMahon added: “This change will provide clearer, more easily understood structures at a local level, improving efficiency and preventing authorities from wasting taxpayer funds on needless changes to systems of governance. The law already allows for and requires overview and scrutiny arrangements to be in place.”

The 13 directly elected local council mayors will be allowed to continue in place under the plans, but the Government will not facilitate the creation of new ones.

“This would also include any councils undergoing local government reorganisation now or the future, where any new unitary would be required to operate on the leader and cabinet model of governance, regardless of whether any constituent part currently has a legacy directly elected council mayor,” McMahon said.

He added that there are pre-existing routes for those councils with legacy directly elected local mayors to adopt the leader and cabinet model, "depending on the individual circumstances in each area, where they wish to do so".

The minister said: “This will avoid the potential confusion caused by the establishment of new regional mayors for strategic authorities and for councils. Directly elected regional Mayors continue to be a prerequisite for significant devolution of powers and funding: it is at this strategic level that the single focal point of leadership for the area and direct electoral accountability is considered to work best.”

McMahon suggested that strategic regional mayors would be empowered to drive local growth in the long-term, with local authorities tackling challenges in service delivery lead by a leader and their cabinet.

The minister said he intends, ahead of introducing primary legislation, to make regulations to pause any change processes between governance models, in order to allow time for Parliament to consider the Government’s proposed measures.

These regulations will extend the period in which a council must call a referendum to determine if the electorate want to change their council’s governance structure following receipt of a petition.

The regulations will also move the date on which an inaugural election is held following a council resolution or a referendum in favour of a directly elected mayor from May 2026 to May 2027.

“These changes will prevent taxpayers’ money from being unduly wasted on administrative processes which will ultimately bring no benefit or change, whilst the future of governance options is being considered by Parliament,” McMahon said.

“We will therefore freeze any changes to local governance structures, allowing Parliament time to consider the measures outlined above and prevent the needless waste of valuable taxpayers’ pounds.”

The minister said the regulations will be of particular relevance to the Plymouth referendum due to be held on 17 July to determine whether to adopt mayoral governance for the council. Should the vote favour introducing a mayor, the inaugural mayoral election would move from May 2026 to May 2027, McMahon said.

He added: “The extension of this period will allow Parliament time to consider the legislation. If Parliament agrees to the proposed measures being brought forward in primary legislation, the inaugural mayoral election would not take place and the council would continue to operate leader and cabinet governance as the common standard for all councils going forward, with the exception to the legacy directly elected council mayors referred to earlier.”

McMahon said that the Government acknowledged that the path to reform is “not without its challenges which some local authorities will need to navigate to ensure successful implementation”.

He added: “By introducing streamlined, consistent and accountable governance structures, we are paving the way for a more efficient, transparent, and responsive local government system. This will empower local leaders to make the right decisions for their communities, and work with government to grow an inclusive economy, reform public services, and secure better outcomes for working people.”