Decision making arrangements

Find out how the Council, Cabinet, Overview and Scrutiny, Planning Committee, Licensing Committee and Audit and Standards Committee are involved in decision-making in Elmbridge. 

Council

The Council, comprising all forty-eight Members, has overall responsibility for setting its policy framework; the annual budget; and Council Tax. The Council appoints the Cabinet, Committees and Sub-Committees with specific delegations. Any matters which fall outside these delegations or outside the budget and policy framework will be considered by Council. The Council determines the Scheme of Delegation for Officers, together with Financial and Contract Procedure Rules.

Cabinet

The Cabinet comprises the Leader of the Council and up to nine Members with clearly defined Portfolio Holder remits. The Cabinet has executive decision making responsibilities, in accordance with the Council's agreed budget and policy framework. The Council's Constitution also provides for Individual Cabinet Member Decision Making with a specific protocol and clear delegations. The Cabinet's published rolling Forward Plan, updated monthly, contains a schedule of Key Decisions (as defined in the Constitution) and other matters as known, to be considered by the Cabinet over the ensuing four month period.

Overview and Scrutiny

The Council appoints an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Key functions of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee include:

• holding the Cabinet to account
• monitoring Council performance
• developing and reviewing policy
• scrutinising externally issues of local public concern

For more detailed information on the Overview and Scrutiny, including how members of the public can get involved, including suggesting future matters for review, see Overview and Scrutiny Committee. 

Planning Committee

The Planning Committee and its Sub-Committees, as appropriate, is responsible for the following areas of Council business:

• determination of planning applications not delegated to officers of the Council
• consideration of Tree Preservation Orders
• ensuring an effective building control function

Licensing Committee

The Licensing Committee and its Licensing Sub-Committee are responsible for the consideration of licensing matters, not delegated to officers, including:

• applications relating to taxi, gaming, entertainment, food and miscellaneous licensing
• functions relating to the Gambling Act 2005
• the appointment, revocation, review and variance of the provision of Hackney Carriage stands within the borough
• functions relating to licensing and registration as set out in Schedule 1 to the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000

Audit and Standards Committee

This Committee considers internal and external audit matters, together with the Council's arrangements for corporate governance, and agrees necessary actions to ensure compliance with best practice. The Committee also has responsibility for overseeing matters in respect of the promotion and maintenance of high standards of conduct by Councillors and Co-opted Members.