How decisions are made

Day to day decisions are made by the Executive. The Executive is made up of the Leader of the Council and 8 other councillors known as Executive Members. The Executive is equivalent to the Cabinet in central government.

Decisions made by the Executive are made in line with our overall policy and budget framework. When Key Decisions are to be discussed or made they are published to the website, usually in a Forward Plan. This allows the public to see easily any significant decisions being taken by the Council. The Executive can also delegate decisions to Officers. To see current officer decisions read our officer decisions page.

Decisions taken by the Executive can be scrutinised by our Overview and Scrutiny Committees. How our decisions are scrutinised is very important.

The Council is the forum for debating major issues and the decision maker on numerous significant decisions. A number of topics - like setting the level of Council Tax - can only be considered by the Council. They can't be delegated to any other body. Membership of the Council includes all 54 elected councillors.

Individual Executive Members can also make formal decisions (IEMD)  provided they meet the requirements detailed in chapter 5.5 of the Constitution.

Meetings at which decisions are made are open to the public unless a personal or confidential matter is being discussed. You can see committee meeting minutes and agendas online.

Finally, across our Borough there are a number of Parish and Town Councils. These represent the interests of their residents on a more local level.