Constitution
The Constitution sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures which are followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people. Some of these processes are required by the law, while others are a matter for the Council to choose.
The Constitution is divided into 16 Articles. More detailed procedures and codes of practice are provided in separate rules and protocols.
The Constitution was last amended in December 2009.
The Full Constitution Plan [PDF 1.7MB] 
is a large file and therefore may take a while to download.
Changes contained in this version of the Constitution are an updated Scheme of Members' Allowances and the new logo.
| Title | Description of Document | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Index | Constitution index [PDF 268KB] |
|
| Part 1 | Summary of the Proposed Constitution [PDF 180KB] |
|
| Part 2 | Articles of the Constitution [PDF 313KB] |
|
| Part 3 | Responsibility for Functions [PDF 389KB] |
|
| Part 4 |
Rules and Procedures [PDF 687KB] Council Procedure Rules and Standing Orders Code of Financial Procedures Employment Procedure Rules |
|
| Part 5 |
Codes and Protocols [PDF 249KB] Code of Conduct for Members Code of Conduct for Officers Code on Member and Officer Relationships Local Code on Corporate Governance Corporate Policy for Involvement in Partnerships and Outside Bodies Code of Conduct for Representatives on Outside Bodies |
|
| Part 6 |
Scheme of Members' Allowances [PDF 125KB] Members' Allowances Travel and Accommodation Policy |
|
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