Cheshire East Council has voted to scrap its committee system and revert to a leader and cabinet style of governance next May.

The decision comes on the back of the government announcing plans for new legislation to abolish the committee system, which it said could be 'unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less efficient decision-making'.

The council's slow decision-making process was also criticised in last year's Local Government Association peer challenge report.

Although legislation has yet to be passed, the council voted on Wednesday (September 17), by 57 to seven, in favour of changing to a leader and cabinet system in May 2026.

Conservative group leader Stewart Gardiner told the full council meeting: "My group was supportive of moving back to the cabinet system for some time.

"Committees, because of the regularity with which they met, weren't making decisions quickly enough, too many officer decisions were having to be made, and that's not in the interest of the council."

He said his group would work with the administration to ensure the cabinet system agreed upon is the best for Cheshire East and is fit for purpose.

"We must all learn from the mistakes of the past, otherwise we will merely repeat them," said Cllr Gardiner.

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Conservative group leader, councillor Stewart Gardiner (Credit: CEC)

Cllr Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) said a return to the cabinet system was a retrograde step.

"Cabinet is great if you're in it, but if you're outside it, your access to information and influence over decision-making is vastly diminished," he said.

Alsager councillor Rod Fletcher (Lib Dem) said he was disappointed the council had to change to a cabinet system, but he would support it.

He added: "We do need a democratic cabinet system, not a dictatorial one like we've had in the past."

Wilmslow councillor Mark Goldsmith (Ind) said: "I became a councillor in 2019 to change Cheshire East, to stop the endless culture of bullying, scandals and impropriety that the strong leader model had allowed.

"The key to that change was moving to a committee system, and that change has been a success, stopped the scandals and made the council more open and democratic."

He said if the council was forced to move back to a cabinet system, it should be in 2027 not next year.

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"We must ensure we do not adopt the previous strong leader and cabinet model that was so discredited," said Cllr Goldsmith.

"Instead, the cabinet must have power over the leader and not the other way round."

Council leader Nick Mannion (Macclesfield, Lab) said the new system 'must have a robust 360-degree scrutiny embedded within this process, and recognise the work of councillors as representatives of their communities at ward level'.