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SAC Report No. 10

Decentralisation of Decision-Making in Aberdeenshire Council

 

Summary

This report sets out the process, conclusions and recommendations of the tenth investigation undertaken by Aberdeenshire Council’s Scrutiny and Audit Committee. The investigation was into the Decentralisation of Decision-Making in Aberdeenshire Council.

The purpose of the investigation was to: determine the effectiveness of decentralising decision-making to provide a more local perspective, delivery of services, and engagement with Aberdeenshire communities; consider the roles of Area Managers and Area Committees and their objectives and the outcomes of localised decision-making, and; recommend any improvements that might be made for achieving an improved decentralised decision-making process.

The investigation began in January 2006 and the Committee heard evidence from twenty-five internal and external witnesses interviewed during seven evidence gathering sessions. The Committee was assisted in the investigation by an independent external expert, Professor Grant Jordan, Second Established Chair Of Politics, School of Social Science, Politics & International Relations, University of Aberdeen. The Committee considered all the evidence and agreed its conclusions and recommendations at a meeting on 22 February 2006.

As a large rural Council, Aberdeenshire Council made a strong commitment to decentralisation from the start of its existence. The Council’s Scheme of Decentralisation adopted in 1997 set out the principles for local decision making and described how this would work in practice. It was made very clear that the Council intended to “be a decentralised organisation” and that this applied to both decision-making by Councillors and the running of Services. Key to the Council’s approach to decentralisation was the setting up of six Areas. These form the basis for the organisation of some (but not all) of the Council’s Services. For each of these Areas, an Area Committee was established made up of the local Councillors within that Area. The Council has thus adopted a system of governance that involves more than one line of democratic control and accountability. While the Area element deals with certain local matters (notably determining planning applications), oversight of professional standards, overall financial management and the giving of strategic direction is for policy committees. Such an arrangement inevitably involves a degree of complexity and requires a balance to be struck between the democratic input from the different components of the governance system.

During the investigation, many witnesses suggested that the process of decentralisation in Aberdeenshire Council had not necessarily gone as far as it could or should. Rightly or wrongly, many witnesses clearly felt that the devolution of decision-making to Area Committees had not progressed much further since 1997. Questions were also raised as to whether all the benefits that could flow from having Area Committees (as presently operating) and Area Managers were being realised. The perception was that the influence of Services, with their budgetary control and line management responsibilities, was overwhelming, while the influence of the Area dimension of the governance matrix was, relatively, very weak. A general wish to “strengthen the role of the Area Committees” was evident.

Although many witnesses wanted an enhanced role for the Area Committees, all were against creating, in effect, six ‘mini councils’. The significant role already played by Area Committees in development control, local roads matters, supporting community initiatives and recreation provision was acknowledged and supported. Proposals to expand the Area Committees’ remit tended to focus on education and social work. However, witnesses made very few concrete suggestions as to what decisions in social work and education it would be appropriate for Area Committees to take.

Having considered all the evidence, the Committee concludes that there is no alternative, much better, model of decentralisation that could be adopted by Aberdeenshire Council. There is, however, scope for improving the operation and increasing the benefits gained from Aberdeenshire’s current scheme. In arriving at this view the Committee took careful note of experiences of Fife Council, Highland Council and others. The Committee is clear that, whilst a degree of decentralisation is absolutely necessary in a Council the size of Aberdeenshire, decentralisation can only go so far without throwing up a different set of problems.

The Committee sees advantages in widening Area Committee agendas beyond items requiring a decision by the inclusion of papers for information and discussion. The Committee also believes that it should be made easier for an individual Councillor or group of Councillors (such as those representing a multi-member ward) to put forward an item for discussion at an Area Committee meeting.

The monitoring and scrutiny of service delivery is a key role of Area Committees – and one that should be developed further. It is entirely appropriate that Area Committees should be able to ensure that the Council is delivering all services to agreed standards within their Area. Further work is needed to refine the Council’s performance indicators and to develop the reporting by Area of those activities for which it would be meaningful to do so.

The Committee recommends that consideration be given to significantly increasing the Area Top-up Budget. The Area Managers put forward a strong case that the present level of funding available to Areas was causing frustration and delay at local level. It might serve to promote a joined-up approach to local problem solving if the Area Management Team could bid into an enlarged Area Top-up Budget to carry out work that did not readily fall within the remit of a single Service.

The evidence heard by the Committee suggests that Aberdeenshire has been no more (or less) successful than other Councils in generating increased public interest and participation through having Area Committees. However, Area Committees certainly have the potential to be an increasingly important element in the on-going process of public engagement and consultation. The Council should seek to use the Area Committees to facilitate dialogue with the public whenever appropriate.

It is clear that staffing structures in many Aberdeenshire Council Services are highly decentralised, with extensive delegation of decision-making to front-line staff. Some Services are organised on an Area basis whilst others, with good reason, are not. This has consequences for how well staff relate to Area Committees and Area Management Teams, with some Services being more comfortable with the Areas than others. However, in Aberdeenshire the principal cross-cutting mechanism designed to promote integrated service delivery at local level is the Area structure, headed on the staff side by the Area Manager. It is clearly therefore a concern if some Services do not relate well to the Area dimension of the system of governance. It might be helpful if staff on Area Management Teams had this responsibility included in their formal job description. The Committee recommends that the Area Management Team also meet periodically with their Area Committee as a way of further underlining the importance of the Area in the Council’s governance arrangements.

The thrust of the recommendations in this report is to give Areas increased influence within the governance and decision making processes of the Council, while seeking to strengthen the delivery of ‘joined-up’ services at local level and ensure consistent standards across Aberdeenshire. It is the Committee’s view that the changes put forward would not generate tensions or divisions within the Council of a kind that it would be difficult to manage.

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