Local government aspect in good governance

In the current circumstances, good governance is required for better economic growth. In real democracy as survival of government is a part of good governance. We have some main characteristics of good governance such as accountability, transparency, rule of law and responsibility. Accountability is a fundamental requirement of good governance. Local government has a responsibility to report, explain and be answerable for the consequences of decisions it has made on behalf of the community it represents.
People should be able to follow and understand the decision-making process. This means that they will be able to clearly see how and why a decision was made - what information, advice and consultation council considered, and which legislative requirements (when relevant) assembly followed. Rules of law are consistent with relevant legislation or common law and are within the powers of assembly.
Local government should always try to serve the needs of the entire community while balancing the conflict of interests in a timely and responsive manner. Local government should implement decisions and follow processes that make the best use of available resources and time to the people with a view to ensuring the best possible results for their community. Anyone affected or interested in a decision should have the opportunity to participate in the process of decision-making. This can happen in several ways, municipal members may be provided with information, asked for their opinion, given the opportunity to make recommendations or, in some cases, be part of the actual decision-making process.
Financial governance is important for good governance because the consequences of failure can be so demoralizing for the assembly. Financial governance mainly from the councillor's perspective and highlights how the assembly can meet its accountability requirements. The areas covered include where the responsibility and accountability lie for council finances, the role of the Strategic Resource Plan and annual budget, and the importance of rigorous financial reporting. In order to fulfil its financial management role, council must ensure that the following staff, systems and functions are in place:
We need modern and robust computer-based financial systems, qualified and experienced staff available to manage the finances and appropriately independent internal audit functions/audit committee is operating.
Council is ultimately accountable for all of this. A prime responsibility of council is to set the annual budget. The budget shows how the activities in the council plan will be resourced for a particular year, including service-monitoring performance. There should also be early discussions with the administration about the assumptions around issues such as debt management, rates strategy, charges strategy and capital works. Councillors have to answerable some of the questions that councillors should ask themselves during the process of preparing the budget:
Do they have a budget preparation timetable and process that meets statutory requirements and gives us enough time to resolve major issues?
Has the budget been prepared within the framework provided by the concern authority. If not, what are the consequences? Will it be reworked to incorporate the long-term impact of current decisions?
How will information be presented to enable us to make the appropriate informed decisions?
Is the proposed level of debt management appropriate?
What opportunities will we have to work through the key issues?
Will the community have opportunities to provide input into the budget early in the process?
Is council's rating strategy reflected in the proposed Budget?
If differential rates are proposed, do they meet legal requirements?
Does the budget deliver the council plan outcomes that were imagined?
Planning can be one of the most important and challenging areas for councillors. Statutory planning decisions are complex and often controversial. They demand high levels of knowledge and understanding about the processes, the statutory requirements and the different roles that a councillor has to play. This is important because good governance involves good decision-making processes and being clear about the different roles.
Participation in the land use planning process is one of the major tasks of councillors. Land use planning is also often a key pressure point between councillors and their communities. Statutory planning involves administering the planning scheme and assessing permit applications. Strategic planning is used to describe activities relating to the future planning and development of the municipality.
As decision-makers on planning applications, councillors should not make up their minds (or appear to have made up their minds) before they have reviewed all the available information and advice. This is particularly relevant when councillors make public statements or promises during election campaigns. For this reason, councillors should ensure that they put sufficient energy and time into policy development and review. While this may not have the intensity of a controversial local planning application, it has greater impact on the future than any single decision on a specific planning application.
(The writer is a freelance writer based in Lahore)