Separate Local Lawmaking From Local Execution

Ward Councillors form the Local Legislature: they make Local law, approve the budget and scrutinise the executive, but they do not become the executive; instead, they select the LGA Director from a separate qualified external applicant pool through published applications, interviews and recorded votes, and no sitting Councillor may use the Council's vote to promote themselves into that office.

The LGA Director heads the Local executive administration and the professional administration carries out authorised policy, while Local law preserves a lawful balance between Council lawmaking, Director assent or return, a lawful supermajority override and judicial review; detailed selection, voting, assent, staffing and scrutiny procedures belong in legislation and the Local Government Policy Paper.

Those who legislate do not execute: keeping the two roles separate makes it easier for citizens to see who made a decision, who carried it out and who should answer for each.