A GROUP of eight councillors who will take charge in Rossendale as part of a 12-month pilot scheme have been named.

A full council meeting unanimously approved plans to introduce a new executive, made up of equal numbers from the Labour and Conservative groups, with effect from yesterday, bringing the council into line with neighbouring authorities such as Burnley and Pendle.

The former policy committees have been scrapped, and decisions will be taken by executive members who will be scrutinised by other councillors.

The Conservative group will be represented by Councillors Peter Steen, William Challiner, Jeff Cheetham and Jimmy Eaton working alongside Labour colleagues Councillors David Hancock, Alyson Barnes, Nick Pilling and Marilyn Proctor.

Executive members will be able to develop portfolios over the 12-month pilot, and the whole system will be reviewed next year.

Other members of the council will continue to represent their wards as usual and will have a scrutiny role to monitor the work of the executive members.

Councillors have already taken part in workshops to help them adapt to the changes.

Council leader David Hancock said: "I think it's a better way of working. We are looking at proper joined-up thinking. In the past, under the committee system, you had people looking at different things, whereas there is a lot of crossover in the services we provide."

Coun Alyson Barnes described the proposals as "exciting, particularly in relation to overview and scrutiny".

Meetings of the executive will be open to the public and minutes of the meeting will be sent to other councillors to enable them to scrutinise decisions of the executive. The first executive meeting will be held on April 21.