Bromsgrove District councillors are set to consider adopting a new model of local government that could help increase political consensus.

The new proposals would mean the council’s Audit, Standards and Governance Committee and the Overview and Scrutiny Board chairman would need to be elected from members of the opposition.

The new ‘Cabinet Advisory Panels’ would also be able to make recommendations to the council’s elected leader and cabinet and bring more councillors into the executive decision-making process.

The move comes after recommendations from an Overview and Scrutiny task group report into the council’s governance options, which councillors voted to launch after no single party won a majority of seats in the May elections.

Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Board Peter McDonald said: “Our thanks to everyone who contributed to the work of the task group as it studied governance systems in detail this summer.

“The final report has recommended a hybrid Leader and Cabinet model for the council to consider, to provide for more input from members of opposition parties and in open and transparent ways.”

Across England, local councils can choose from a range of governance models that each provide a level of political consensus in decision-making.

Bromsgrove District Council currently uses a ‘leader and cabinet’ style system which means the leader of the council makes most of the day-to-day decisions whilst the full council retains the final vote on matters including the budget and overall policy.

The new proposed ‘hybrid leader and cabinet’ model adds part of the Committee system to that process whilst not requiring major changes to the council’s core governance model and constitution.

The recommendations are set to be considered at the Extraordinary Meeting of the full council tomorrow evening (September 20) having passed through the cabinet last week.