Decision making

The full Council of 45 members sits as a body with responsibility for strategic policy and decision-making.  It is only the Council which can give the final agreement to certain plans and strategies, such as:

v     Annual Report

v     The Development (Local) Plan

v     Housing Strategy

v     Council’s Promises and Priorities

v     Five Year Money Plan.

It also sets the Council Tax and Budgets, makes Byelaws, settles the Scheme of Delegation to the Executive Board and Committees, and makes the procedures and protocols of the Council.  The full list of its responsibilities is contained in Chapter 3 of the Constitution.

The Executive Board [Cabinet] makes most of the day-to-day decisions of the Council.  The Board is chaired by the Leader of the Council and comprises 5 other Councillors with responsibilities for Planning, Housing and Health, Leisure, Culture and Regeneration, Environment and Contracted Services, Community Engagement and Resources.  The Board meets once a month in public, when it makes decisions as a group and reviews its Forward Plan.  The Board’s Forward Plan shows for four months ahead as to what major decisions the Board is planning to make and is published on or near the 1^st of each month.  The role of the Leader, responsibilities of the Board members and the rules and procedures of the Board are set out in Chapter 7 of the Council’s Constitution.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee has eleven members.  The Committee has a responsibility to co-ordinate the scrutiny and review of the Council’s policies and decisions.  It can also look at particular topics and present ideas on these to the Executive Board.  There is also the facility to ‘call in’ decisions of the Board it thinks it should be looked at again by the Board.  It may also appoint Scrutiny Teams to review particular topics and issues.  Most of these are ‘Task and Finish’ Groups but there are two permanent ones, Health Scrutiny Team and Audit, Performance and Efficiency Scrutiny Team.  Teams publish reports at the end of each review, which make recommendations either to the Council or to other organisations. 

The Terms of Reference of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, its Rules and Procedures are detailed in Chapter 6 of the Constitution.

The Standards Committee comprises three Council Members and three independent members of the public, plus two representatives from the parish councils.  The Committee is involved in achieving and promoting high standards of conduct by Councillors, and considers any allegation of misconduct or breaches of the Council’s Codes and Protocols.  It also holds hearings referred to it by the Standards Board for England, relating to alleged breaches of the code of conduct for parish councillors.  Its Terms of Reference, Rules and Procedures and the Conduct of its meetings are contained in Chapter 9 of the Council’s Constitution. 

Applications for planning permission are decided by the Development Control Committee, which meets every four weeks and has 21 members.  It decides planning applications in accordance with agreed policies and enforces planning decisions when these are not complied with.  The Committee also meets about four times a year to consider policy items only.  These are referred for policy decisions to be made by the Executive Board, so only has a consultation role on matters of planning policy.  Its role and protocols etc are set out in the Council’s Constitution.     

Licensing Policy is dealt with by this Committee.  The Committee has 11 members and no substitutions are allowed.  Its role is set out in the Council’s Constitution at Chapter 8.

These are sub-committees of Licensing Committee and comprise any 3 members of the Committee.  Meetings are programmed weekly but only take place when there is a licence application to be determined.   

The Health Scrutiny Team is a permanent Team and its Terms of Reference are as follows:-

1.      Health Scrutiny Team to comprise 6 members, 4 Conservatives and 2 Liberal Democrats.

2.      To receive regular feedback on the work of the County Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and encourage support for Wychavon’s representative on the County Council Committee.

3.   To develop and share knowledge about public health and wellbeing priorities for the district.

For further information please click on the link below.

These are groups that comprise membership from Wychavon District Council and from other organisations.  The details of these are included at Chapter 10 of the Constitution.  The following groups are established currently:-

v     Worcestershire in Wychavon Highways Forum

v     Cross Boundary Issues Group

v     South Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership

v     Local Strategic Partnerships

v     Community Planning

v     Worcestershire Partnership.