Overview Groups
All Councillors meet together as the Council.
These meetings are normally open to the public. Here Councillors decide the Council's overall policies and set the budget each year. The Council appoints the Cabinet which has, as a main role, a task of developing and implementing policy on behalf of the Council.
The Cabinet has to make decisions which are in line with the Council's overall policies and budget strategy. If it wishes to make a decision which is outside the budget or policy framework this will must be referred to the Full Council to decide.
Key decisions which are to be made are published in the Cabinet's Forward Plan.
A number of Scrutiny Committees monitor the decisions of the Cabinet and the implementation of policy and the performance of the Council's duties. They are open to the public and the public may be invited to address them on matters of concern. Scrutiny Committees can call in a decision that has been made by the Cabinet but not yet implemented. This enables them to consider whether the decision is appropriate. They may recommend that the Cabinet reconsiders the decision.
Overview Groups exist to help develop policy and to monitor the delivery of Council Services. They work closely with the Scrutiny Committees and may make recommendations to Cabinet and Council.
The Council also appoints regulatory Committees to perform the Council's regulatory functions, such as Development Control (planning issues) and Licensing. The Council may also appoint other specialist Committees from time to time.
The Council also has a Standards Committee that advises on the adoption and implementation of a code of conduct and political conventions for Elected and Co-opted Members. All Members have agreed to follow these so as to ensure high standards in the way they undertake their duties. The Standards Committee ensures there is appropriate training and advice on the code.
Directgov