THE town hall's cabinet style system is undemocratic and should be abandoned, leading Bolton Conservatives are claiming.

Tory whip Andy Morgan said his party wanted a return to the old committee organisation saying back-benchers from all parties felt excluded by the new order.

His comments follow a pledge by the leader of the Conservative Party, Michael Howard, to allow councils to turn back the clock if his party come to power at the next election.

The council is currently run by a committee of eight executive members who can accept or dismiss advice given to them by a series of policy development committees.

Under the new system introduced by the Labour Government four years ago, councillors have no way of overturning decisions once they have been taken.

A change in the way councils operated was ordered following complaints that the committee system - which required a majority before a decision was reached - was painstakingly slow.

But Cllr Morgan said: "We have always been against the executive committee because it puts power in the hands of a small minority. We want to give power back to back-bench councillors who, across the party spectrum, feel they are being excluded by the current process.

"Decisions can be scrutinised after they have been taken but by then they are set in stone."

The council's Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Barbara Ronson said: "I can understand why the Conservatives feel left out although their stance disappoints us.

"The new system allows executive members to take decisions without the time consuming process of having to get a majority in committees.

"I think we need to find a third way with some of the benefits of the executive method and the inclusiveness of the committee system."

Labour leader Cllr Cliff Morris said: "The current system is democratic and backbenchers are able to play an important role especially through the area forums.

"We back the current system and do not feel it has been properly tried and tested."