Ukip councillors are calling for an overhaul of a county council to improve “democratic accountability”.

West Sussex County Council will discuss whether the authority should switch from a cabinet system to a committee system at a full council meeting today.

The authority moved to the cabinet system of governance more than a decade ago where the council leader and cabinet members from the same party use executive powers to make decisions.

UKIP’s opposition leader Councillor Mike Glennon said that cabinet members made policy decisions in private and not in the open forum of elected committees.

Brighton and Hove City Council switched back to a committee style system in May 2012 where members from all parties discuss which proposals to take forward.

Calls have also been made to overhaul the system at Rother District Council with independent councillors claiming that there is a shortage of cabinet members representing Bexhill.

Coun Glennon said benefits to the change would include creating a broader input from across the ranks of elected councillors and representing the views of the 62% of West Sussex electors who voted for “minor” parties at the last election.

He added: “Making key decisions behind closed doors brings the risk of a despotism, which flies in the face of democratic accountability.

“Currently, the political balance across the very limited select committees, dominated by one majority party, regardless of their wafer thin mandate, does not in my view constitute an effective check and balance on the decision-making powers of the leader and cabinet.”

The motion will be discussed at a full council meeting today at County Hall North in Horsham.