The Cabinet

Cabinet decisions are referred to as executive decisions and made in two ways:

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

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

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

There are a number of ways that members of public can contribute to the decision making process by:

• getting in touch with your local councillor
• asking questions at a public council meeting
• starting a petition
• giving your views
• getting involved in your community

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

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.