Maybe I'm old fashioned but I believe that councils do valuable work for the community. They are an integral part of our democracy. But a key sign of a healthy democracy is that policies are described as open and transparently as possible.

According to your website the local council is making some important changes to the way it delivers services.

A spokesman for the council said:
"The local authority is creating a more flexible structure that will identify and respond to local needs more quickly and efficiently. It will also enable better use of resources across the city through closer relationships with agencies such as Sussex Police, the local NHS and partners in the community and voluntary sector.
 
"Under the current system, the most senior officers manage one of six ‘directorates’ and are able to draw only on the resources within that department to meet the needs of residents.
 
"Under the new model, the most senior officers will be responsible for wider strategic targets, like making people feel safe and secure. They will be able to call on 11 ‘delivery units’ – services like housing, adult services, tourism and others – to meet these targets."

I've read through it three times and still only have the vaguest idea of what is actually being proposed. It seems to suggest that at the moment the head of housing, for example, can only call on members of the housing team. But when the changes are in place he could call up the environmental health team if he needs to. The idea that someone from one department can now ask for assistance from someone from another department doesn't really seem that 'innovative'- at least not since the invention of the telephone. However, this is only guesswork as the statement is so badly worded.

These proposals might be very good, or they might be some terrible erosion of public services. The fact that they're being described in such an obscure way makes me fear it's probably the latter.