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How your Council works
We were one of the first District Councils in England to adopt an Executive structure before the Local Government Act 2000.

A Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council and seven other councillors are appointed annually to form the Cabinet. They are responsible for delivering the policies set by the Council as a whole and take most of the day-to-day decisions. They make recommendations to the Council on strategic and major policies, the budget and council tax levels. Each councillor on the Cabinet, except the Leader, has a responsibility for different areas of the Council.

A Forward Plan listing the key decisions is usually published on the 14th of every month and covers a 25-month period.

Councillors who are not on the Cabinet sit on the overview and scrutiny committees. There are currently two of these committees that review all aspects of the Council's activities, policies and performance and scrutinise the actions of the Cabinet, to ensure the Council is delivering what local people want. They are entitled to "call in" a decision made by the Cabinet to examine it before it is actioned, except recommendations to the Council.

Councillors also sit on Planning and Licensing Committees to decide all planning and licensing applications. A Standards Committee, with two independent non-councillor members as chairman and vice chairman, oversees ethical and probity issues.

Forthcoming dates for Council, Cabinet and Committee meetings can be found on the Committee Information Page where you can also find copies of the agendas and minutes of the meetings.

There are several opportunities for direct public participation in Council meetings:

(1) Asking a Public Question
Public "Question Time" is near the start of Council meetings and is an opportunity for any person to ask the Leader of the Council, or his nominee, a question about a matter in which the Council has powers or duties or an issue that affects the Borough.

(2) Presenting a Petition
The Council has a procedure to enable any person to present a petition at a Council meeting and for the presenter to address the Council for a maximum of three minutes.

(3) Making Representations on Recommendations
Before the Council considers a recommendation from the Cabinet or a Committee and before it makes a decision on that recommendation, any person can put forward views on the issues involved by making representations to the Council for a maximum of three minutes.

The procedure for a person wishing to (1) ask a public question, (2) present a petition or (3) make representations on a recommendation is: - To notify the Chief Executive in writing or by e-mail before 12 Noon, five working days prior to the day of the Council meeting [i.e. 12 noon on the preceding Thursday for a Council meeting on the following Thursday] and at the same time deliver (1) their written question, (2) the original of their petition or (3) their written statement of representations.

There are also different arrangements for public speaking at meetings of the Planning Committee (Pdf 40kb) in support or against applications.

Communicating and consulting with local residents on future plans and key local issues is a continuing priority for the Council. At the centre of the Council's consultation structure are six Have Your Say events covering Ashford, Shepperton, Staines/Laleham, Stanwell and Stanwell Moor, Sunbury Common and Sunbury (Lower). These normally meet twice yearly and provide a platform for informal discussions with residents, to seek their views and comments on key local issues.

For further information the councillors can be contacted directly or to arrange to ask a question or speak at a Council meeting please contact Richard Powell.

Useful Links
LGANet
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)