SIC readies for a reshuffle

COUNCILLORS are preparing for a reshuffle at the top of Shetland Islands Council this week after the midterm review of senior positions was brought forward from October to May.

One councillor has been termed the move as a “power grab by the backbench” with many of the new councillors elected two years ago wanting to break the control of what is left of the “old guard”.

The midterm review of all senior office bearers was introduced in May 2011 when the SIC’s constitution was changed.

Councillors are now being asked to either confirm all positions until May 2017, or each position individually in case a challenge is made.

It looks unlikely that council convener Malcolm Bell and political leader Gary Robinson will be challenged, but some changes are expected to the posts of committee chairs and vice-chairs.

Backbenchers have for some time been feeling excluded from the SIC’s internal information flow and have been critical of informal and unminuted meetings of committee chairs.

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The midterm review has been brought forward to allow newly appointed office bearers to settle in before the SIC embarks on the massive job of setting next financial year’s budget.

On Wednesday, councillors will also be asked to create a number of additional posts such as deputy convener and deputy leader, and make changes to the remit of a number of committees.

Most of the changes to the committee structure have already been discussed in private seminars and are unlikely to trigger much debate when they are aired for the first time in public.

The proposed changes to the ‘governance arrangements’ are as follows:

• creating the new unremunerated posts of deputy convener and deputy leader to support the convener and political leader in their responsibilities;
• changing the name and remit of the executive committee to policy and resources committee to strengthen its role, and give the committee the power to ‘call-in’ council decisions;
• changing the membership of the new policy and resources committee so that all seven wards are represented;
• making the Shetland College board a sub-committee of the education and families committee;
• renaming the audit and standards committee the audit committee to better define its role of scrutiny;
• shifting some of the remits of the social services committee to other council bodies to allow this committee to focus on the Scottish government-led initiative to better integrate health and care services;
• moving transport planning from the development committee to the environment and transport committee;
• adopting the changes in Scottish planning law.