Opposition councillors are calling for “greater openness” from Greenwich Council with a list of demands to increase transparency.

In a motion filed by the Tory group to be heard next week, the council is being asked to shake up the structure of its mayor and scrutiny committees.

New leader Danny Thorpe has already scrapped an expensive mayor-making party, promising to take the celebration back to the town hall and stop hosting invite-only bashes at the Royal Arsenal.

Now, Cllr Matt Hartley and colleagues are pressing to no longer have a mayor appointed on “party political lines” from the ruling party, instead having the role chosen in proportion to the make-up of the council as a whole.

The motion also calls for the chairmen and women of scrutiny committees to be an opposition member – not chaired as they currently are by a councillor from the Labour group.

Scrutiny committees are groups that hold the decisions made by the council’s top team to account.

Peninsula Cllr Chris Lloyd, Labour,  will take the role of chairman, despite Cllr Spencer Drury proposing the Tory leader Matt Hartley would be a better fit at the first post-election meeting last month.

The opposition added in its motion that top players in the council, such as the leader, cabinet members and chief whips, should not sit on the planning board – something the old administration was criticised for allowing.

Greenwich had bucked the trend of London councils by having both the leader and deputy sitting on the planning committee.

Cllr Thorpe has already  pledged to remove members of the leadership team from the planning committee – but the role has been taken up by the group’s chief whip Angela Cornforth.

Councillor Matt Hartley, leader of Greenwich Conservatives, said:

"At the local elections, Greenwich Labour tried to wipe out all opposition and win every single seat on the Council - but the voters rejected that idea, instead returning all nine opposition Conservative councillors to the town all. "The election campaign also showed that many residents feel shut out of decision making on the issues that affect them.

"It's time for a new approach - the Labour-run council needs to throw open the doors and operate in a much more transparent way. We need more engagement with residents, real and genuine consultation and proper scrutiny.

"Our motion on Wednesday night is a chance for the new Labour leadership to show that they have listened to the message that came out of the election - and show that they are willing to change. I urge them to take it."

Councillors will debate the motion at a full council meeting next Wednesday, June 27.