Council

1          The following functions are the responsibility of the Council and will be discharged by the Full Council (all Councillors meeting together) unless specifically delegated to another Committee, Sub-Committee, body or officer elsewhere in this Constitution. The Council:

·                    is accountable to residents and service users for the proper discharge of all of its functions and the delivery of its services

·                    will keep under review the running of the Council’s affairs and will implement changes where it considers there is a need to do so to improve the way in which the organisation operates, its relationships with the public and the delivery of services in the most efficient and effective way to deliver best value

·                    will adopt the Council’s Constitution and approve any amendments to it (except where specifically delegated to the Corporate Policy Committee or the Monitoring Officer)

·                    will:

o        elect the Mayor

o        appoint the Deputy Mayor

o        elect the Leader of the Council and appoint the Deputy Leader

o        appoint to such other offices and/or positions as may be required under this Constitution or by law.

·                    will adopt the Policy Framework and any of the policies within it

·                    will agree the Council's Budget

·                    will determine any decision which would otherwise be contrary to the Policy Framework or contrary to/or not wholly in accordance with the Budget

·                    will adopt the Council’s Codes of Conduct for Councillors and Officers and the Protocol on Councillor/Officer Relations

·                    will agree:

o          the establishment and composition of Committees and Sub-Committees (except for ad-hoc Sub-Committees or Panels envisaged by this Constitution)

o          The political balance of such bodies as required from time to time

o          the allocation of Chairs and Vice-Chairs to those bodies (see paragraph 2 below).

·                    will agree and amend the terms of reference of its Committees and Sub-Committees and the job description for committee Chairs

·                    will determine any matter which is referred to it for determination by a Committee or Sub-Committee

·                    will adopt (or otherwise) Motions submitted in accordance with the Council Procedure Rules

·                    will approve the Councillors’ Allowance Scheme for elected Members following advice from the Independent Remuneration Panel

·                    will appoint/dismiss the Head of Paid Service, dismiss the Monitoring Officer and Chief Finance Officer, designate an officer to act as Monitoring Officer and an officer to act as Chief Finance Officer

·                    will appoint the Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer

·                    will approve the Council’s response to any issues or proposals in relation to local government boundaries including Electoral Wards, the conduct of elections and community governance functions

·                    may take decisions relating to the name of the area and may confer the title of Honorary Alderman or Freedom of the Borough

·                    may make decisions relating to the making, amending, revoking, re-enacting, adopting or enforcing byelaws and promoting or opposing the making of local legislation or personal bills

·                    will take decisions in respect of functions which have not been delegated by the Council to Committees, officers or elsewhere.

2          Nominations to the Council’s Committees, Sub-committees and decision-making bodies, and changes to such nominations, including nominations to Chairs and Vice-Chairs, shall be notified by the Council’s Group Leaders or Group Whips in writing or by email to the Head of Democratic Services and Governance and shall thereafter be published on the Council’s website. Such nominations shall be in accordance with the relevant numerical allocations made by Council for that body in line with the political balance rules.