Response form
June 2012
Name: Community Network Manager
Organisation: Cornwall Council
Improved communication – This came up at the recent Conversation Event in Launceston where Local Council representatives were explaining that they become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of particularly email communication from the various Council Services and Teams.
Local Council Clerks and Councillors therefore find it difficult to keep up with all the correspondence. Two suggested improvement would therefore be
1 – Reduction in volume of emails / correspondence sent out
2- Clearer heading on all emails in the subject line so recipients know if the correspondence is Urgent / For information only/ Response Required etc
So far as you have experienced or have knowledge of, what aspects of Cornwall Council’s decision making processes work well and what not so well? What are your reasons for saying this?
In your experience, would you say that Cornwall Council has open and transparent decision making processes? What are your reasons for saying this?
If you have a preferred option for Cornwall Council’s future governance arrangements, please indicate below and note the reasons for this:
(Please refer to the attached Governance models briefing note)
a. The Leader and Cabinet Model
b. The Committee system
c. Mayor Cabinet Model
d. An alternative system (please outline)
What are the key factors or issues the Council should consider when reviewing its governance arrangements in order to ensure that so far as is possible, its structures are informed by its function?
<Insert response>
Additional comments
As a Community Network Manager, I have a particular interest in the future role and arrangements regarding Community Network Panels (CNP’s).
My experience of managing two Community Network Areas (CNA’s) is that they are genuinely useful local forums that could, given the right governance, become even more effective and play a more important role.
I feel that Panels have worked better in the more rural communities, and especially those further away from Truro. With the move to a unitary authority and the effective relocation of all decision making to Truro, the Panels that I am responsible for have become one of the only opportunities where local Council’s can get together to discuss important issues with the Cornwall Councillor representatives.
Meetings which have been most effective are the ones where the local Council’s have put forward the issues to be discussed as these are real local issues. The Network’s role is then to ensure the right information and attendees are there to help inform discussions, answer questions and also take on board feedback from the Panel Members and taking this into account when delivering services locally; i.e. bottom up type meetings.
Meetings that are less effective and less well attended tend to be where the Network has been asked to host a services or discussion regarding a key Strategic theme or consultation issue; i.e. top down meetings. It almost feel as times that the panel is being used as a ‘box ticking’ exercise for a service so they can then say ‘yes we’ve engaged the community through explaining our strategy at a panel meeting’. These types of meetings are particularly poorly received by the many small rural Parish Council’s which far outnumber the number of larger Town Council’s and Parishes with larger villages within them.
Looking forward therefore I would suggest the following
- Community Networks and their associated panels currently have an important role to play in ensuring communities are engaged at the local level. It is recognised that they work better in some areas than others and that there are many variable factors that will determine success or otherwise.
- There is an opportunity to give CNP’s more local ‘voice and influence’ by setting the right governance structures through the CC Governance Review. It will however be important for each panel to decide its exact shape perhaps within some broad parameters, so as to ensure that local distinctiveness can be taken account of.
- CNP’s would greatly benefit from being ‘formally recognised’ as valid and legitimate committees of Cornwall Council. This would formalise the relationship and provide local CNP representatives with the sense that the Panel is not ‘just a talking shop’
- In my opinion, CNP’s should be given more voice and influence by means of utilising the set up and giving it additional functions as local Service Design & Review Panels. In this way, Services would be more locally accountable and during the budget setting period, be required to set out its intentions and proposed priorities to each network area. The CNP members could then comment and seek to give the proposals a local ‘reality check’ to make sure the proposals are designed to address the ‘local needs’. Also through out the year, the CNP would have the opportunity, if necessary to ‘call in’ Services if they feel that the agreed priorities / service standards are not being met. I feel that this would be a very powerful role and function for the CNP’s giving the members a real sense of purpose and the ability to truly make a difference locally.
Please return the completed form to or post it to: The Policy Team, Chief Executive’s Department, New County Hall, Truro, TR1 3AY.