By Isle of Wight Observer
The move last May from a cabinet system to a committee system on the Isle of Wight Council was made with the intention of increasing transparency, broadening participation, and giving members across the political spectrum a greater role in shaping policy. In principle, these aims were admirable. In practice, however, the system has revealed significant weaknesses that are now becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Under the former cabinet model, clear lines of accountability existed. Decisions – whether popular or not – could be made within defined timeframes, and there was a consistent understanding of who held responsibility. Officers could prepare advice knowing which portfolio holder or cabinet member would ultimately take the lead. Councillors knew whose ‘door to knock’ on when issues arose. The flow of work was predictable and manageable.
The committee system has changed that dynamic dramatically. Spreading decision-making across multiple committees, each with shifting compositions and overlapping remits, has introduced delays that affect almost every area of council business. Reports circulate repeatedly, meetings become procedural rather than purposeful, and officers can find themselves preparing the same briefing several times for slightly different audiences. Instead of empowering councillors, the system often leaves them frustrated, with influence diluted rather than enhanced.
For councillors, the workload has grown without a corresponding increase in clarity. They are now expected to sit on multiple committees, absorb vast amounts of technical and legal information, and navigate agendas that can be complex. What was intended as shared leadership has too often become shared exhaustion, shared dismay, and shared disillusionment. Decision-making has stalled, not necessarily because of disagreement, but because the structure makes timely consensus difficult to achieve.
Council staff feel the strain as well. The additional administrative burden – drafting, revising, co-ordinating, and re-presenting reports – consumes time that could otherwise be spent on service delivery or long-term planning. The uncertainty generated by slow or inconsistent decisions affects projects, partnerships, and public confidence.
Outside the council, relationships with residents, businesses, and partner organisations are also affected. When decisions take longer or appear inconsistent, stakeholders feel less able to plan and less sure of what the council’s direction truly is. The Island’s key challenges – economic resilience, infrastructure, social care, and transport – require decisive and co-ordinated leadership. A structure that slows rather than supports that ambition ultimately hampers the council’s ability to meet the expectations of our community.
While the committee system was adopted with good intentions, it is becoming increasingly clear that the model is not delivering the efficiency, clarity, or responsiveness the Isle of Wight needs. Perhaps this is why the government has plans to instruct all councils to move away from committee systems and back to a cabinet model of governance.