The Cabinet

The Cabinet is responsible for the strategic thinking and decisions that steer how the council is run. They meet monthly and take decisions together. They each have an area of responsibility for which they:

• act as the council's spokesperson and advocate
• lead the development of council policy and make recommendations to the Cabinet
• make individual executive decisions on behalf of the Cabinet when needed
• provide guidance to the Cabinet on the running of related activities
• give guidance to the Cabinet on budget priorities
• monitor performance and make sure that policy is delivered
• lead the improvement of related council services
• make sure that related activities meet the council's overall vision, core values and guiding principles
• decide the area of activity for their deputy cabinet member.

Other duties include:

• contributing to debate and decision-making as part of the Cabinet as a whole
• working constructively and openly with backbench, opposition members and officers to make sure that the overview and scrutiny process is working correctly
• appearing before, and responding to reports of, overview and scrutiny bodies
• representing the council at national and local level.