The Council operates the directly elected mayoral form of executive. The Council is composed of a Mayor and forty-five Councillors. The Mayor is directly elected by the electors of the Borough, normally for a four-year term of office. The mayoral election will be held on the same day as the ordinary Council elections, at which Councillors are elected to represent each of the wards within the Borough 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.
Introduction
Chapter 2: How the Council Operates
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The Council may also appoint additional ‘Co-opted’ Members to certain Committees and Sub-Committees. Co-optees are people who are chosen to represent a specific area of interest or issue of consideration. These representatives are not elected members of the Council and are appointed because of their level of knowledge and experience. These co-opted members make a very useful contribution to discussions and help make the correct decisions in relation to important matters.
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The Mayor, Councillors and Co-optees are together known as ‘Members’ of the Authority. Members have to agree to follow a Code of Conduct for Members to ensure high standards in the way they undertake their duties. The Council’s Standards Advisory Committee is responsible for advising Members on the Code of Conduct and ensuring that they receive training on the requirements of the Code, which they are required to observe in carrying out their duties and responsibilities as Members.
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The Mayor and all Councillors meet together at Council. Meetings of Council are normally open to the public. Here Councillors decide the Council’s overall budget and some policies (including the Budget and Policy Framework). Council appoints annually an Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Regulatory Committees, a Standards Advisory Committee, and other statutory, advisory and consultative bodies.
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The Mayor appoints a Deputy Mayor and (up to eight) additional Cabinet Members who form the Council’s Executive, they are responsible for most day to day decisions and most policies. The Mayor and other Executive Members meet together as the ‘Cabinet’. The Mayor is responsible for the Council’s main executive decision-making powers and the overall delivery of Council services.
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- The King George’s Field Charity Board to administer the affairs of the King George's Field, Mile End charity of which the Council is the sole trustee;
- The Grants Determination Sub-Committee.
- The Cabinet Housing Management Sub-Committee
The Mayor may also establish other executive decision-making bodies and currently the Council has:
Note - The Health and Wellbeing Board can also take some Executive decisions.
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The Executive Scheme of Delegation sets out more detail on the Mayor and executive functions.
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The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is established to review or scrutinise decisions of the Executive and conduct reviews into functions which are the responsibility of the Executive. Section 9 of the Constitution sets out an introduction to role of Overview and Scrutiny and links to more detailed sections later in the Constitution.
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The Overview and Scrutiny procedure rules in Part G (Overview and Scrutiny) set out in more detail how the Committee and its sub-committees operate.