LOCAL GOVERNMENT: SEDGEFIELD Borough Council operates a cabinet and three scrutiny committee system. Each scrutiny committee is made up of one-third of non-cabinet members, which means two-thirds have no vote on two-thirds of the council's business.

Non-members can attend scrutiny committee meetings, but can only speak at the chairman's discretion. Although normally permitted, it should surely be their right by law and not left to the whims of individual chairmen?

The system is also supposed to allow members who are concerned at certain cabinet decisions to "call in" the item for further scrutiny. In reality, the Labour majority has made the system of "call in" so complex it is nearly impossible to have cabinet decisions referred back for further scrutiny. (Only one decision has been "called in" in the past five years).

We were told that "scrutiny" should be open, transparent and non-political. What we have in reality is a system where, although we have an active and healthy opposition, all cabinet and scrutiny committee chairs and vice-chairs are selected from Labour's ranks.

To quote from a recent edition of Local Government First: "The real danger is that if we don't address the problems, scrutiny will continue being ineffective and executives will increasingly destroy the very heart of local democracy." - Councillor Garry Huntington, Liberal Democrat Councillor, Byerley Ward, Shildon.