The Constitution governs the way in which the Council, councillors and officers working at the Council work together to deliver the Council’s functions.
It ensures that everyone at the Council acts lawfully, fairly and appropriately and that the Council’s functions are performed properly and effectively.
A full copy of the Constitution is available (PDF document)
Individual sections of the Constitution:
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These sections explain how the constitution governs the way in which the Council, councillors and officers work together to deliver the Council’s functions; who is responsible for maintaining and reviewing the constitution; and who is responsible for making amendments to the constitution.
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This section explains what information is available to members of the public, councillors and officers; and how councillors and members of the public can engage with and get involved in local democracy.
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This section explains what decisions are taken by all councillors together as a Full Council; the rules of procedures for Council meetings; and how decisions are made.
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These sections explain what the Cabinet does; the rules of procedures for meetings of the Cabinet; how the Cabinet makes decisions; and the role and responsibilities of the Leader.
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This section explains the role and functions for each of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny committees; how scrutiny holds the Cabinet to account; and the rules of procedures for scrutiny meetings.
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These sections explain the role, functions and terms of reference for the Standards Committee; Governance and Audit Committee; Licensing Committee; Planning Committee; Democratic Services Committee; Joint Committees; Corporate Joint Committees; and other Committees / Sub Committees.
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This section provides information about the management structure of the Council and the functions of the Chief Executive, the Monitoring Officer, the Chief Finance Officer and the Head of Democratic Services.
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This section provides information on how the financial affairs of the Council are conducted; how contracts are executed on behalf of the Council; and how the Head of Law and Governance is authorised to deal with legal proceedings.
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This section sets out who is responsible for making the various decisions in the Council.
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This section sets out how councillors and members of the public can access agendas, decision notices, minutes, forward work programmes and background papers.
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This section sets out the framework for Cabinet decisions in relation to budgets, plans and strategies.
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These sections set out the financial policies of the Authority and the framework within which the Council conducts the business of local government.
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This section sets out the standards expected of councillors when attending meetings and serving their community.
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This section sets out the code of practice by which councillors and officers of the Council deal with planning matters.
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This section sets out the standards expected of employees when performing their duties.
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This section provides a protocol to guide councillors and employees of the Council in their relations with one another.
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These sections provide details of the following policies and protocols: Whistleblowing Policy; Petition Scheme; Multi-Location Meeting Policy; Webcasting Protocol; Guidance for Remote Attendance; Protocol for liaison between Council Officers and MPs/MSs; Protocol for liaison with Local Members; Policy for the removal of Local Authority Governors; the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy.
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This section set outs the role descriptions and person specifications for elected members; Leader; Cabinet Member; Chair of the Council; Chair and Member of the Democratic Services Committee; Chair and Member of a Regulatory Committee; Chair and Member of the Standards Committee; Chair and Member of an Overview and Scrutiny Committee; Member Champion; Leader of the Opposition; and Political Group Leader.
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How to get involved:
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How can I find out when meetings of the Council and its committees and bodies are taking place?
The Council publishes notices of meetings of the Full Council and its committees. You can find out more about notice requirements in section 15 of the constitution.
The Council publishes notices of meetings, and a programme of upcoming meetings.
How can I find out what will be discussed at a particular meeting?
The Council will publish agendas for meetings, together with any background papers and reports in advance of the meeting taking place. Meetings are also livestreamed and recorded.
Can I ask a committee or body of the Council to look into a particular issue?
An overview and scrutiny public engagement protocol has been established to provide a clear understanding and provide guidance on the procedure by which members of the public can engage with the work of the Council.
You can also submit petitions to the Council, using the Council’s petition scheme. The Council is obliged by law to operate a petition scheme, which sets out:
- how a petition can be submitted to the Council;
- how and when the Council will acknowledge receipt of a petition;
- the steps the Council will take in response to a petition; and
- how and by when the Council will make available its response to a petition to the person who submitted the petition and to the public.
You can read more about submitting a petition to the Council in section 24.1 of the Constitution.
Can I attend meetings of the Full Council?
Members of the public can attend meetings of the Council so long as they are being held in public. Meetings of the Council are also broadcast live on the Council’s website so you can watch them in real time remotely if you wish to do so.
The Council may also exclude the public from a meeting, or part of a meeting, where exempt information would be disclosed. Exempt information includes information that relates to a particular individual or their financial or business affairs, information that is legally privileged or information relating to the prevention, investigation or prosecution of a crime, or other information specified in the Constitution.
The rules around excluding the public from meetings are set out in Section 15.10 of the constitution.
The Council’s obligations to broadcast meetings of the Council are set out in Section 24.2 of the constitution.
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The Full Council (all 55 councillors) sets the overall budget and policy framework. Full Council appoints the Leader of the Council; the Leader then appoints the other members of the Cabinet and allocates Cabinet member responsibilities (portfolios).
The Cabinet makes key decisions, though it can also delegate decisions to individual Cabinet members, to committees, to officers, joint arrangements or to other authorities. The Cabinet has 10 members, including the Leader of the Council and each member has different areas of responsibility or portfolios. Cabinet meet regularly around once or twice a month.
Overview and Scrutiny Committees: there are 4 overview and scrutiny committees which advise on policies and hold the Cabinet to account on specific issues
The Planning, Audit and Governance, and Licensing Committees make the Council's regulatory decisions.
There is also a Standards Committee to promote high standards of conduct and support councillors to comply with the Code of Conduct.
Officers (members of staff) can also take decisions under 'delegated powers'; these are outlined in the Scheme of Delegation in Section 14 of the constitution.
We have a guide to the Constitution (PDF document), which is designed to help you to understand how the Council works to deliver services in your area.
It provides an overview of the Council’s Constitution and explains key sections of the constitution in clear and simple language.