Electoral review of Newcastle Our council: Fit for the future Evidence to support the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s consideration of the appropriate number of councillors for Newcastle City Council Presented by Newcastle City Council’s Constitutional Committee 0 Contents Background: Electoral review of Newcastle 2 Section One: Our council size proposal 3 Section Two: About Newcastle 5 Section Three: Evidence relating to governance and decision making 12 Section Four: Evidence relating to scrutiny functions 33 Section Five: Evidence relating to the representational role of councillors 38 Section Six: Evidence relating to the future 50 Section Seven: Comparisons to similar authorities 55 Section Eight: Views of other interested stakeholders 57 Section Nine: Options considered 59 Section Ten: Conclusions 60 Appendix 1: Cabinet portfolios 63 Appendix 2: Details of North East Combined Authority and joint authorities / 66 committees Appendix 3: Schedules of appointments made by City Council 68 Appendix 4: Case studies provided by councillors 99 Appendix 5: Feedback received from other stakeholders 101 1 Background: Electoral review of Newcastle The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (the Commission) is undertaking an electoral review of Newcastle between November 2015 and September 2016. An electoral review examines a council’s electoral arrangements and aims to ensure, as far as possible, that the ratio of electors to councillors in each ward is the same. The review will cover: The total number of councillors to be elected to the council (council size); The number and boundaries of electoral areas (wards) for the purposes of the election of councillors; The number of councillors for any electoral area of a local authority; and The name of any electoral area. The review begins after a preliminary period during which the Commission will reach a ‘minded to’ decision on our council size. The Commission aims to recommend a council size that allows that council to take decisions effectively, manage the business and responsibilities of the council successfully and provide effective community leadership and representation. They state in their guidance that the key factors to be taken in to consideration when developing a council size proposal are: 1. Governance and decision making – what is the right number of councillors to take decisions and manage the business in an effective way? 2. Scrutiny functions – what is the right number of councillors to administer scrutiny responsibilities in a convenient and effective way? 3. Representational role of councillors – what is the right number of councillors to present and provide leadership to local communities? 4. The future – what governance changes are being considered and how do these impact on the number of councillors needed in the future? As Newcastle currently elects by thirds, and could only change this through a statutory process and a decision by City Council, there is a presumption that the Commission will seek to achieve a pattern of three member wards wherever possible. The Commission will consider this council size proposal at their meeting on 17 November 2015 and reach a ‘minded to’ decision. Following this, they will begin to consult on the future pattern of wards in the city. The timetable for our review is: 17 November 2015 – The Commission meet to consider our council size 24 November 2015 – 1 February 2016 – The Commission invite proposals for the future pattern of wards in the city 10 May 2016 – The Commission publish their draft recommendations for the future pattern of wards in the city and invite feedback 4 July 2016 – The Commission closes consultation on their draft recommendations 6 September 2016 – The Commission publish their final recommendations October 2016 – The Commission lays the lays an Order before both Houses of Parliament to implement their final recommendations May 2018 – Final recommendations are implemented through whole-council elections 2 Section One: Our council size proposal 1.1 Newcastle City Council is an ambitious authority, proud to be doing great things for a great city. 1.2 As a core city and a prominent regional capital, with a diverse and growing economy, a popular tourism destination with a vibrant culture, a national and international transport hub and a university city, the good governance of our city is a profound responsibility. 1.3 As a city of diverse and engaged communities, including areas of significant social, health and economic challenges, our councillors play a key leadership role. We are committed to delivering excellent services and meeting the core statutory requirements that apply to all councils. But we see our role as far wider – playing an active role in improving the wellbeing of our city and the wider region, investing for the future and tackling deep seated inequalities. 1.4 This ambition sets the basis for our electoral review. We have examined in detail the demands placed on our councillors in their city-wide leadership role and in the role they play within our communities. We have looked at the time they spend on this role, the expectations of communities and the implications of radical changes to resources, means of communication and engagement. 1.5 The City Council’s Constitutional Committee is the primary governance committee of the council and has therefore led the council’s input into the review. The Committee’s discussions were informed by the following principles and observations: The statutory responsibilities of the council, which in Newcastle include significant planning and regulatory functions associated with a vibrant and growing core city; The need for effective scrutiny, including the opportunity to participate in task and finish groups on specific issues; The distinctive tradition of ward-based working, including in areas with diverse communities and areas of significant deprivation; The impact of public sector cuts, both in terms of the reduction in services and facilities provided by the council and the pressures this creates in generating community-led solutions, often led or supported by local councillors; The importance of attracting a diverse range of individuals to stand for the council and to encourage councillors who also have other full- or part-time work commitments; The range of council sizes within the ‘Cipfa nearest neighbour’ group which the Commission identifies as the most appropriate comparator base; and The commitment of councillors to external bodies, including boards and partnerships within the city and to regional and national bodies, including the new North East Combined Authority. 1.6 In addition, Constitutional Committee agreed to recommend a number divisible by three, in keeping with the current model of elections by thirds. Any change to this arrangement 3 would need to be agreed by City Council following a statutory period of consultation with residents. It is not proposed to move to a model of un-equal sized wards, on the grounds that this would be difficult to reconcile with ward governance arrangements that allow groups of three councillors to take decisions, by majority if required. 1.7 Taking these factors in to account, it is the view of the council’s Constitutional Committee that the evidence does not justify a change in the number of councillors, therefore we propose that we retain 78 councillors. 1.8 We submit this proposal and the underlying evidence which has informed it to the Commission for independent assessment and challenge. We acknowledge that the Commission will reach an independent view based on this evidence, taking into account the council’s views and any others submitted to the Commission. 1.9 This submission has been informed by: Discussions within Constitutional Committee, who are leading this process on behalf of the council as a whole, and within the political group; Desk-top research and analysis based on information held by officers, for example, committee structures, attendance at meetings, numbers of decisions at different levels and annual reports from the overview and scrutiny process; An understanding of the future pressures likely to be placed on councillors in Newcastle; from our statutory obligations, the need to support a growing city, the pressures arising from austerity in the public services and welfare benefits and the nature of ward-based working adopted within Newcastle; Feedback received through a survey completed by 47 councillors exploring their approach to their councillor role and average time spent on activity throughout the municipal year; Information received through a time recording exercise completed by 40 councillors during July 2015; Case studies of ward-based working, illustrating the diverse challenges facing councillors in their ward role; and The views of other interested parties in the city including Members of Parliament, Parish Councils, and other political parties not represented on the City Council but who had candidates in the May 2015 local elections. We will provide these separately to the Commission but they are summarised in Section Eight. 1.10 The remainder of this document provides the detailed evidence and rationale for our proposal, set out using the questions provided by the Commission to help guide thinking on the key factors. 4 Section Two: About Newcastle Population and demography 2.1 The population of Newcastle is 289,800 according to the latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimates. It is the smallest of the eight Core Cities but has seen relatively rapid growth over the last ten years, by 8.6%, higher than the North East (3.1%) Great Britain (7.8%). Over the next six years to 2021, we expect the city to continue to grow by 2.3% to around 2.2 294,500 people. Due to developments and improvements in electoral registration we expect the electorate to grow faster by 12.3% from 193,045 electors to 216,045 electors over the same period. This will increase the number of residents and electors represented by each councilor. Figure 1.