The Council
We are run by 54
democratically elected councillors. Members of the council align themselves to
political groups, which are not necessarily formally recognised UK political parties. The group with the majority of members forms the administration. Its Executive members are the
Cabinet led by the Leader.
For more information about the members, visit the
members personal contact page, which includes the ward they represent, committee memberships and further contact details.
Council meetings
All councillors meet together as the Council.
Meetings of the Council are normally open to the public. Here councillors decide the Council's overall policies and set the budget each year.
The Council, at its annual meeting in May each year, appoints the Leader and Cabinet (the executive) for the ensuing year. The Leader selects the councillors for his/her Cabinet, nominates them to the Council for formal appointment and allocates their portfolios. The Mayor of the District is also appointed at the annual meeting.
The Council also appoints
committees for the ensuing year to deal with certain areas of responsibility which are not within the powers of the Cabinet such as planning applications and other regulatory matters and also overview and scrutiny commissions and a standards committee.
Council structure
The Council is organised into four departments run by the Chief Executive, who report to the Cabinet and Committees of the Council.