The council is run by councillors, who are elected by the local community. They serve for a period of 4 years.
The council is made up of 41 elected councillors representing 15 wards.
The current makeup of the council is:
Council meetings are usually open to the public.
To see agendas, reports and minutes view the meetings calendar.
Councillors are responsible for making decisions on behalf of the local community. These decisions are about local services and budgets, such as Council Tax.
Councillors are not paid a salary or wages. They are entitled to allowances and expenses to cover some of the costs of carrying out their duties. All councillors follow a code of conduct. This requires them to declare any financial interests, gifts or hospitality that could influence any decisions they make.
The full council is a meeting of all 41 councillors. The full council:
The leader of the council is Councillor Mary Temperton.
They chair meetings of the Cabinet and lead on policy development and implementation.
The Cabinet is a group responsible for most of the business of the council. The Cabinet is made up of:
Each member has a defined portfolio of responsibilities.
The council's constitution sets:
The Overview and Scrutiny Commission scrutinises decisions the Cabinet:
They hold the Cabinet to account for the decisions and actions that affect their communities.
The commission co-ordinates the work of 3 Overview and Scrutiny Panels. The panels carry out reviews and support focussed policy development.
While elected councillors provide the policies, paid employees (council officers) put them into practice.
The council employs over 4,000 staff. These include school teachers, social workers and staff responsible for a wide range of services.
There are 4 council directorates where staff are employed:
The Chief Executive is Susan Halliwell. They are the senior officer who leads and takes responsibility for the work of the paid staff of the council.
The Chief Executive works with elected members to deliver:
Working with elected members, the Chief Executive makes sure of strong and visible leadership and direction.
They encourage and enable managers to motivate and inspire their teams.
The Chief Executive makes sure all staff understand and adhere to the strategic aims of the organisation and follow the direction set by the elected members.
The Chief Executive acts as the principal policy adviser to the elected members of the council. They lead the development of strategies which will deliver the political objectives set by the councillors.
The Chief Executive leads and develops strong partnerships across the local community to achieve improved outcomes and better public services for local people
The Chief Executive oversees financial and performance management, risk management, people management and change management.
The Corporate Management Team is made up of:
Kevin Gibbs (Executive Director)
Stuart McKellar (Executive Director)
Grainne Siggins (Executive Director)
Andrew Hunter (Executive Director)
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Place structure chart September 2024
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People structure chart February 2025
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Senior staff salary information is published to increase transparency and accountability in local government.
