Emergency powers extended for Sunderland council chief - but opposition raise concerns over democracy

In March, Sunderland City Council agreed a package of measures which gave more powers to the chief executive Patrick Melia and officers to make decisions normally made by elected councillors.

The changes came at a time when council meetings had been postponed and aimed to allow rapid decision-making during the coronavirus pandemic.

With the authority now holding more council meetings digitally, opposition councillors launched a formal bid for the powers to be relaxed.

RELATED: The latest figures on the coronavirus impact in Sunderland

But leader of Sunderland City Council, Coun Graeme Miller, said the move could put the public at risk.

“The public health crisis is still in existence, the r-rate for the North East and Sunderland is still far too high and I genuinely believe that it is too soon to remove the emergency powers from the chief executive in case something changes,” he said.

“We don’t know what’s happening with regards to this virus because we cannot get the statistics from Public Health England to tell us what the situation is in the North East, never mind Sunderland.

“I think it could easily be construed as being foolish to come out of this too quickly and to gamble with the public health of Sunderland residents if we remove that set of powers too soon.”

The comments came during the first review of the powers at a June 10 extraordinary full council meeting – one of the first in the region to be held digitally.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Coun Niall Hodson, lodged an amendment calling for more councillors to be involved in the decision-making of “regular business” such as planning.

The bid also included limiting powers to “urgent matters directly related to Covid-19” and for councillors to be consulted on officer decisions normally taken by committees.

“I think councillors should be concerned that the recommendations, if unamended, say that a handful of chief officers and committee chairs will decide between themselves when meetings will be held, what meetings will be held, what business will be discussed, what the procedure of the meeting will be, who takes what decisions and whether the public will be allowed to participate,” Coun Hodson said.

“I think this is a poor excuse for democracy when we actually have meetings running. Either we should resume business or not and we shouldn’t be going out of our way to create a less transparent, less accountable hybrid.”

Leader of the Conservative group, Coun Robert Oliver, added opposition councillors would be “completely excluded” under the reformed powers.

“We did have unanimous support for these emergency powers when they were brought in but we’re now three months on and it’s essential that emergency powers now are only restricted to dealing with time sensitive matters related to the pandemic,” he said.

“Otherwise it becomes an unnecessary concentration of power in the hands of unelected officers and only a few chairs of committees.”

RELATED: The £24million wiped from Sunderland City Council's balance sheet by coronavirus crisis

UKIP group leader, Coun Pam Mann, praised council bosses for keeping opposition councillors updated on Covid-19 throughout the lockdown period but said it was time to “get the powers back to the people.”

“I represent the electorate of my ward and my party and would hope that we can give input, scrutiny, questions, motions and petitions on behalf of our wards,” she added.

Labour group leader, Coun Miller, said he agreed with the sentiments of opposition councillors but said it would be a “reckless act” to lift the powers currently.

The council leader added the committee diary for 2020/21 will see several committees and scrutiny meetings coming forward.

He told the meeting: “We need to get back as quickly, sensibly and safely as we can to having council meetings in the normal way.

“But we don’t control that, the public health control of Covid-19 will determine that.”

A continuation of the current emergency powers was approved with 43 votes in favour, 20 against and one abstention.

The powers will be reviewed again at a council meeting in September 2020.