The Cabinet
The Council has adopted a Leader and Cabinet system which makes
all the key decisions. It operates along similar lines to central
Government. Members of both political parties - Conservative and
Labour - have agreed that a single-party cabinet is the most
effective way of governing the Royal Borough.
The Cabinet is the main focus for policy-making and
decision-taking in the Royal Borough. It is made up of the Leader
and nine other senior majority party (Conservative) Councillors.
The Leader is elected every year at a meeting of the full Council
and appoints his or her own Cabinet. Each Cabinet Member is
responsible for a particular area of Council policy, known as a
‘portfolio’.
The Cabinet normally meets every four weeks to discuss key
policy matters and take the most important decisions together, but
individual Cabinet Members can take decisions at any time. The
Cabinet must get approval from the full Council if it wants to take
a decision that deviates from Royal Borough's agreed budget and
major plans.
Some Cabinet Members are supported work by one or two other
councillors, who are known as ‘Lead Members’. Lead members are not
decision-takers, but they help to provide day-to-day leadership and
expertise in specific areas and work closely with officers and
their Cabinet Member.
The Cabinet is the focus of forming partnerships with the
community and for the Council's role in 'leading the community',
picking up issues that affect local people and putting them right
at the top of the agenda - nationally, if appropriate.