Devolution and Elected Mayors are topics of the day and residents are currently being asked questions to help Durham County Council make up its mind.
Is there a hidden agenda in the Government’s insistence that we elect a Mayor? Is the whole idea to restructure local government in the future and create greater efficiency and savings?
It does state in the devolution document that if we decide against an elected Mayor we would have to accept fewer County Councillors.
Not many like the cabinet system at County Hall or the large numbers of councillors Durham elects via the current ward system.
126 councillors is far too many and most people have the view that officers run everything anyway, and sometimes show scant regard for councillors.
Even with scrutiny and other safeguards who can honestly say we are truly democratically represented? A revised ward system with just 30 elected Councillors is enough and ordinary Joe Public would notice no difference anyway.