The Council comprises 43 councillors. The district is divided into 18 wards. One-third of the councillors are elected three years in four. Councillors are democratically accountable to the residents of their ward.
All Councillors meet together at a meeting known as Council. Council meetings are normally open to the public and at these meetings Councillors appoint committees, receive reports and minutes from committees, adopt changes to the constitution and set the budget each year, in addition to making decisions relating to other important Council business. The Chair of the Council is elected at the annual meeting held every May.
The four policy committees are responsible for making decisions on a range of services that the Council provides, for example, housing, waste collection and the use of land. The Strategy and Resources Committee is responsible for the general administration and overall policy and financial framework of the Council.
There are 5 committee cycles each year, and the reports of these committees are received by Full Council at the end of each cycle.
The Audit & Scrutiny Committee is responsible for the review and scrutiny of the decisions and performance of the Council, audit arrangements and providing opportunities for other organisations to present and explain key aspects of their local services.
The regulatory committees are responsible for considering and determining applications in relation to planning, taxis and other licences (but not alcohol, entertainment or gambling).
The Standards Committee is responsible for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by Councillors, including assisting Councillors to observe the Members’ Code of Conduct.
These four sub committees are constituted by a parent committee. They have a range of responsibilities as defined by the parent committee.