How are decisions made?

Decisions are made by:

• The Council

The law says that some decisions must be taken by the full Council (e.g. setting the Council Tax).  The Council also has the final responsibility for holding the Board to account for its decisions.  There are 73 Council Members.

• The Cabinet

The Cabinet makes most decisions, following the budgetary and policy framework.  There are 10 Members of the Cabinet each with portfolio responsibility for particular council functions.

• Planning, Licensing and other Committees

Some council committees, such as the Planning, Taxi Licensing and Rights of Way committees, make decisions. There's also the audit Committee and the Employment and Appeals Committee.  The minutes of these committee meetings are held on the Council Meetings page. 

• Officers

Officers are senior staff who advise the council. They're responsible for the day to day management of the council.  The Council delegates some decision-making powers to Officers to make sure that they are able to manage their part of the organisation effectively.  The powers delegated to Officers by the Council, Cabinet and Committees are set out in the constitution.