The Cabinet

What is the Cabinet?

The Cabinet (also known as the Executive) is the council's main decision-making body.

The Leader of the Council is Chair of the Cabinet and appoints other councillors as Cabinet members.

Each Cabinet member is responsible for particular areas of council business - this is known as their portfolio. Cabinet members are also called Portfolio holders.

Members of the Cabinet

How are decisions made?

Cabinet decisions are made in two ways:

• By the Leader and Cabinet collectively at a public meeting
• Or by a single Cabinet member - where the decision is within their power and after consultation with every other councillor.

Cabinet decisions are referred to as Executive decisions.

Before making a decision, the Cabinet will release a report, which is open for inspection and comment.

View details of Executive decisions by date, Cabinet member, topic and reference number

What is a key decision?

The Cabinet collectively makes some of the decisions at a public meeting, or individual portfolio holders make decisions after consultation with every other councillor.

The council makes many decisions; a key decision is an executive decision that meets at least one of the following criteria:

• Savings or expenditure is worth more than £50,000 or 25% of the annual revenue budget for the service, or function of the capital allocation to the scheme concerned.
• It affects individuals or organisations in more than one ward.
• It affects individuals or organisations outside the borough.
• It will have a long-term (5 years +) or permanent affect on the council or borough.

The Forward Plan summarises the main executive decisions the Cabinet and individual portfolio holders are likely to take over the next four months.

Frequently asked questions

How can I contribute to the decision-making process?

There are a number of ways that you can do this:

• Get in touch with your local councillor
• Ask questions at a council meeting
• Start a petition
• Give your views
• Get involved in your community

You can find out how to contribute to the decision-making process by visiting our Have your say page.

Can I attend a Cabinet meeting?

Yes, Cabinet meetings are open to the public, which means members of the public and other councillors can attend and pose questions before decisions are made.

You can also watch Cabinet meetings on our website.