NEDDC's Constitution - Part 1 - A Summary of Our Constitution
This summary gives a short description of how the Council is run and the key bodies and people who take decisions.
Above is a diagram to help show how everybody works with each other. You can also download a copy of this diagram near the bottom of this page.
Councillors
Your Council is governed by 53 Councillors who are elected every four years. Each Councillor represents people and businesses in a ward. Some wards have more than one Councillor. The job of your Councillor is to represent you even if you didn’t vote for them.
Councillors have a Code of Conduct to make sure they follow high standards in the way that they carry out their role. There is an Ethical Standards Committee which trains, advises and deals with complaints against Councillors about the Code of conduct.
The Council Meeting
All Councillors meet together about six times a year in the Council Meeting. The Council Meeting decides overall policies and sets the Budget each year. The Council Meeting also appoints the Leader of the Council, the Chair of the Council and other positions on various committees and outside organisations.
The Leader of the Council and the Cabinet
The Leader of the Council chairs meetings of the Cabinet. The Cabinet is made up of 10 Councillors who each have responsibility for special areas of the Council. The Cabinet can only make decisions within the scope of the overall Budget and Policy Framework set by the Council Meeting. If the Cabinet wants to make a decision outside the Budget and Policy Framework then it has to get the Council Meeting to agree.
The Chair of the Council
The Chair of the Council is the non political and ceremonial representative of the Council and is in charge of the Council Meeting.
The Chief Executive
The Chief Executive and Directors run the day to day work of the Council, working with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet.
Scrutiny
There are four Scrutiny Committees which oversee the work of the Cabinet and the Council Meeting and also hold public enquiries into issues of local concern. In some cases, they can Call In a decision which has been made but not yet carried out.
Planning and licensing
The Council’s planning and licensing functions are overseen by a Planning Committee and a Licensing Committee which are both accountable to the Council Meeting.
Monitoring Officer and Chief Finance Officer
Along with the Chief Executive, two other members of staff have special roles to help make sure the Council follows the law and manages its finances well. These are the Monitoring Officer and the Chief Finance Officer.
Downloads
This diagram demonstrates how the various committees and organisations within NEDDC, work together for our citizens. (20.3 KB)
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