CEG – Governance Workshop
CEG – Governance Workshop
21/07/16
Each group was tasked with creating a governance model which dealt with two
specific principles as set out by LGA’s principles of good governance.
This was in the context of a hypothetical scenario laid out in the task sheet on
pages 2 and 3.
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CEG – Governance Workshop
Workshop Task Sheet
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CEG – Governance Workshop
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CEG – Governance Workshop
GROUP 1
Attendee
Caroline Court
Ian Smith
Dr Robin Kirby
Jane Cashmore
Kate Kennally
Philippa Dowling
Richard Williams
Cath Robinson
Organisation
Cornwall Council – Public Health
VSF
Falmouth University
Truro/Penwith College
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council
Principles of good governance
Civic
Leadership includes the capacity to
Leadership
develop a vision for an area coupled
with a governance arrangement that
can ensure effective and
accountable delivery of this vision.
Transparency Transparency is fundamental not
and
only in building trust and confidence
efficiency
in the political process, but also in
ensuring efficiency.
Questions to consider
Who makes the
decisions, at a strategic
level and at a local level?
How do you ensure
decisions are made
effectively?
How does the model
contribute to
transparency about who
makes decisions, on what
issues, when, why and
how?
Model
Expert input deputy as expert?
Hybrid model
Balance of democracy and expertise set vision

Relationship
with
businesses




Working to an agreed
set of objectives
Strategic body
“Place Shaping Vision”
> Bringing representatives together from range
of functions
> Single budget
> Income generation
> Provision of major services (commissioning)
> Health, Social Care, Waste Management,
Skills, Economic Development, Planning
Cornwall Councillors
Provide scrutiny to strategic body and community level
Community Level
Delivery of local priorities
Devolved budgets
(Remodelled Town and Parish Councils)
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CEG – Governance Workshop
Key discussions

One overarching organisation
o Assembly?
o Current system complex, therefore hard to access and understand
o Simple structure required

Mayor
o Would need public buy-in to consider
o Potential Mayor with expert input from deputy?

Voting mechanism
o Does Cornwall have power over voting system in 2025?
o Mandatory voting?
o Reduce voting age?

Cultural Catchment
o Allow local people to establish area they feel culturally affiliated with
Summary
Principle
Civic Leadership
Transparency and
efficiency
Details of governance arrangements
 Highly visible top strata sets direction as hybrid model
balancing democracy and expertise
 Strategic body brings in representatives from
functions
 Community level have devolved budgets, deal with
local priorities
 Both strategic body and community level scrutinized
by Councillors
 Simplified structure for easier navigation of public
sector
 Overarching body sets vision, freeing up capacity for
strategic leadership
 Sight lines show decision making chain
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CEG – Governance Workshop
GROUP 2
Attendee
Organisation
Coastline Housing
Devon and Cornwall Police
JCP
HCA
Cornwall Council
Councillor
Cornwall Council
GREG
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council
Allister Young
Phil Kennedy
Steve Matthews
Ian Knight
Phil Mason
CC Paula Dolphin
Clare Salmon
Oliver Baines
Adam Birchall
Christopher Roy
Principles of good governance
Accountability Are sound arrangements in place to
ensure that there is effective
scrutiny of decision-making by those
seeking to hold the executive to
account (non-executives, the public,
other parties)?
Business
Does the model provide for the
engagement
effective involvement of local
business interests?
What role will local enterprise
partnerships (LEPs) play in
governance?
Questions to consider
Does the governance
model ensure that
decision-makers are held
to account, how?
How are local businesses
involved?
Model
Democratic Leadership
Small group directly elected
Expert Executive
Function
Function
Function
Function
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CEG – Governance Workshop
Key discussions

Democracy vs Expertise
o 70% of budget – need expert input
o CEOs of public services elected? (Too busy for democratic process)
o Elected members given direct assistance from appointed experts

Inclusion of under-represented
o Encourage diverse representation through work-friendly model with pay

One combined public services organisation with powers/bodies underneath
o Is Cornwall the right scale?
o Similar to German models (e.g. Stuttgart > 2 million population)
o Include Plymouth, due to current draw in East Cornwall?
o Has to be level of regional co-operation, but not another layer of government

Town and Parish Councils
o Don’t have enough responsibility - double devolution needed?
o Could Towns have Mayors? Highest voted councillor becomes mayor

Will public sector become like a business in 2025?
o New strands of income likely to be required
o E.g. European municipality models; single energy company public sector owned

LEP
o Current lack of faith from businesses in CC – branding issue
o Therefore require LEP

Broad strategic basis for governance
o Can set clear vision + culture
o E.g. Auckland Model

Research is key to business involvement
o Intelligence hub, with joint access to intel

John Lewis Partnership model
o Citizens have a stake in the business and share in the profits/losses
Summary
Principle
Accountability
Business
Engagement
Details of governance arrangements
 Directly elected, small group of top level decision
makers, accountable to the electorate
 Highly visible decision makers
 Scrutiny from political opposition
 Independent audit/scrutiny committee required
 Evidence-based decision making, through
use/investment in intelligence
 One combined public services organisation
 Set clear vision and culture
 LEP required
 Key Principle: Invest in Intelligence and Research
 Intelligence hub with joint access
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CEG – Governance Workshop
GROUP 3
Attendee
Ethna McCarthy
Paul Walker
Mike Dann
Jim Pearce
Stephen Marks
Matthew Barton
Organisation
RCHT
CC (CFRS)
DWP
Devon and Cornwall Constabulary
Environment Agency
CC
Principles of good governance
Effective
The importance of creating sound
decisionarrangements for the development
making
of deliberative local democracy is
essential.
Questions to consider
How does the model
support high quality
decision making?
Public
involvement
To what extent does your
model involve the public
and what form does this
take?
Does the governance model provide
for effective public involvement in
decision-making?
The creation of a devolved
governance structure should ensure
that there is proper public debate
about important public policy
choices. Do the processes of
decision-making ensure the
inclusion of citizen voices?
Key discussions

Engagement of all groups
o Trying to ensure representational democracy that reflects Cornwall
demographics

Empowering decision-making to others
o Be less risk averse

Balance of democracy
o Synergy required between the ‘traditional’ representational democracy and
‘newer’ forms of participatory democracy
o Could introduce new electoral system that allows top-up of ‘seats’ on
council/assembly allocated to under-represented groups

Develop bottom up model of governance
o Need to recognise communities of influence don’t respect traditional
boundaries

Incentivised voting
o Are there any ways in which we can we can incentivise voting?
o Can we use referendums to determine key decisions – such as the
introduction of a tourist tax for Cornwall?
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CEG – Governance Workshop

How can we engage more effectively with the online community?

Take into account that society will become increasingly emotive, reactionary and
aggressive, as well as demographic projections etc.
o Need to harness that ‘social energy’ by creating a model of governance that
balances representational and participatory democracy.
o E.g. participatory budgeting the norm and not the exception!

Opportunity to consider new electoral systems for 2021
o E.g. proportional representation or the ‘alternative vote’ system, with top-up
for underrepresented minority groups

Turn governance on its head
o Get clearer distinction/relationship between local and strategic decisionmaking
o Default should be all decisions are made at local level, rather than other way
around
Summary
Principle
Effective Decisionmaking
Public Involvement
Details of governance arrangements
 Be less risk averse in empowering decision-making
to others
 Define relationship between local and strategic
decision-making
 Default should be locally-made decision making
 Ensure representational democracy of all
demographics
 Balance of representational democracy and new
participatory models
 Introduce ‘top-up’ of seats allocated to
underrepresented groups
 Incentivise voting?
 Use referendums on key issues e.g. a tourist tax?
 Develop better ways to engage with online
community
 Consider new electoral systems
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