Anyone wishing to speak at Council should read
how to participate in Council meetings.
The Council is composed of 42 councillors elected every four years. Councillors are democratically accountable to
residents of their ward. The overriding duty of councillors is to the whole community, but they
have a special duty to their constituents, including those who did
not vote for them.
Councillorshave to agree to follow a code of
conduct to ensure appropriate standards in the way they undertake
their duties.
All councillors
meet together as the Council. Meetings
of the Council are normally open to the public. Here councillors decide the Council's overall policies
and set the budget each year. The Council elects the Leader of the
Council (who appoints the other members of the decision-making
Executive); the Overview and Scrutiny Commission (responsible for
holding the Executive publicly accountable, and for developing
policies) and the four regulatory committees (which make decisions,
non-executive functions).