More than 450,000 electors are being asked to give their views on how Bradford Council should conduct its business in the future. Electors are being given various options as to how decisions should be taken - for example, whether by councillors or even an elected mayor. The Cabinet model put forward by the Government looks similar to the Council's existing executive - but there are key differences.

For a start, it would have a maximum of ten members, which would mean at least four councillors would have to be axed from the existing executive. But - more importantly - the "super councillors" could make their own decisions without going to the executive.

They could also be made up of councillors belonging to one party, like the Govern-ment's own cabinet in Westminster.

Local government minister Hilary Armstrong made it clear in a past interview with the Telegraph & Argus that she had no problem with minority-group councillors being absent when decisions are made.

The cabinet leader would be able to choose his or her members, or they could be elected by the 90-member Council.

But to local government expert Professor Gerry Stoker, the main issue in the cabinet structure is the ability of other members to scrutinise and challenge the decisions.

Professor Stoker, a professor in local government at Manchester University, told the T&A: "Its achilles heel would be if there was not sufficient capacity in the Council to hold it to account."

Professor Stoker is chairman of the Local Government Network made up of experts, council officers, academics and councillors and is committed to modernising local government.

He said the streamlined systems make common sense and he believes portfolio holders should take responsibility for their decisions. "If a cabinet member makes a series of mistakes you can get rid of him or her, but members of a full cabinet have the opportunity to hide behind each other," he said.

However, he warned that the system could become less open unless there were robust systems to challenge and examine the decisions.

"I think the executive should run the show, providing it can be held to account," he said.

But Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton has reservations about changes in the final model put forward by the Government. She said a larger cabinet would give more opportunity for flexibility and deciding the best people to hold portfolios.

"We are moving to a similar model but there are some important differences," she said. "On the question of individual members of the cabinet having power to make decisions, I personally think they should be made together.

"There would also be no deputies or alternate members and I think it is unrealistic to believe there wouldn't be occasions when they were necessary."

Leader of the Labour group Councillor Ian Greenwood said: "I believe there is nothing wrong with the new structures. The question is how they are operated."

But Councillor Greenwood - whose group proposed the existing temporary model last year - said in retrospect he would like to see a wider role for back-bench councillors.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group Councillor Jeanette Sunderland said it was essential for all decisions to be made public, complete with the reasons for making them. She said she was concerned about the behaviour of some councillors who seemed to want to keep information to themselves.