Borough council's constitution
The council has agreed a constitution which sets out how we operate, how decisions are made and the procedures we follow to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people.
Some of these processes are required by the law, while others are a matter for the council to choose.
More detailed procedures and codes of practice are provided in separate rules and protocols document:
Financial Procedures Rules - November 2024(PDF) [354 kb]
The Constitution
Constitution Content index(PDF) [93 kb]
The Constitution is divided as follows:
Part 1 - An overview of our constitution and broadly explains how we operate and decisions are made
Part 2 - There are 14 articles set out in our constitution, which are the basic rules of how we do business
Part 3 - This part of the constitution explains how we share different responsibilities between the committees and staff of our organisation
Section 2 - Scheme of Delegation
| Page No. | Title |
|---|---|
| 3.5 | Responsibility for Council Functions |
| 3.7 | Responsibility for Local Choice Functions |
| 3.9 | Responsibility for Council Functions - Committees |
| 3.21 | Responsibility for Executive Functions |
| 3.21 | The Cabinet |
| 3.24 | Cabinet Committees |
| 3.29 | Leader and Cabinet Member Responsibilities |
Section 3 - Scheme of Delegation to Officers
| Page No. | Title |
|---|---|
| 3.33 | Part 1 – The overall Scheme of Delegation to Officers |
| 3.35 | Part 2 - Delegation Structure |
| 3.38 | Part 3 – Specific Delegations to Officers |
| 3.61 | Part 4 - Proper Officer Appointments |
Part 4 - This part of the constitution sets out the rules and procedures that govern how we operate
| Page No. | Title |
|---|---|
| 4.3 | Council Procedure Rules |
| 4.22 | Committee Procedure Rules |
| 4.31 | Cabinet Procedure Rules |
| 4.37 | Public Participation at Meetings |
| 4.41 | Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules |
| 4.56 | Access to information Procedure Rules |
| 4.70 | Members’ Rights of Access to Information Procedure Rules |
| 4.74 | Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules |
| 4.80 | Urgency Procedure Rules |
| 4.84 | Officer Employment Procedure Rules |
| 4.90 | Petitions Scheme |
| 4.94 | Disposal Procedure for Land and Property |
| 4.104 | Standing Orders – Disposal of Land |
| 4.112 | Financial Regulations |
| 4.124 | Contract Standing Orders |
Part 5 - Contains council's codes and protocols for members and officers
| Page No. | Title |
|---|---|
| 5.3 | Code of Conduct for Councillors |
| 5.26 | Arrangements for dealing with complaints against councillors |
| 5.44 | Probity in Planning - Code of Practice for Councillors and Officers |
| 5.56 | Working together for local people: Protocol for Councillor and Officer Relations |
| 5.66 | Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer) Protocol |
| 5.74 | Chief Internal Auditor Protocol |
| 5.80 | Audit Arrangements |
| 5.82 | Treasury Management |
| 5.84 | Overview and Scrutiny and Cabinet Protocol |
Part 6 - Explains the different allowances to which councillors are entitled
Part 7 - This outlines the Senior Management Structure of the Council
Part 8 - a glossary of key terms
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