Council

Medway Council came into existence on 1 April 1998 and is one of the largest unitary authorities in England, providing all local government services. The council has a legal responsibility to make decisions about such matters as collecting income from the community (through council tax and charges) and from central government and the type and range of services provided to the public.

The people who make decisions are councillors. Councillors are elected by the people of Medway and usually represent political groups. The council is made up of 55 councillors from 22 wards throughout Medway.

The Conservatives won overall control of Medway Council in the elections on 1 May 2003 and increased their majority four years later on 3 May 2007.

The current composition of the council is:

Access to the decision-makers

Residents of Medway are represented at three levels; by a local councillor, by a member of parliament at Westminster and by a member of the European Parliament. There are also 11 parish councils responsible for local facilities in some parts of Medway. The following set of questions and answers explains how decisions are made by Medway Council, who they are made by, how residents can influence this process and the role of council officers.

How do I make my views known?

There are several ways so that councillors can take them into account when taking decisions:

• write to, email or telephone, either a ward councillor or a councillor who sits on a committee which is to consider the matter;
• ask a question at a council meeting: time is set aside at council meetings for local people to ask questions or make deputations about specific subjects - the question should be submitted seven days in advance of the meeting, to ensure that a full answer can be given;
• organise a petition calling for action on a specific issue and ask a councillor to present it at a meeting of the council: it will then be referred to the appropriate committee for discussion but will not be discussed at the council meeting when it is presented.

How does the council work?

Decisions are made at meetings of the cabinet, council or at committee and sub-committee meetings

Most decisions are taken by the 10-member cabinet. Some decisions, such as changes to the constitution, electoral issues and approval of major policy documents are taken by the full council. Decisions on planning applications are taken by the Development Control Committee. Decisions on applications for public entertainment, Hackney carriage and private hire licences are taken by the Licensing and Safety Committee.

Some decisions are taken by officers under a scheme of delegation from cabinet, council or committees.

The council also has four Overview and Scrutiny Committees. These committees review services provided by the council and other local agencies (including the NHS) and make recommendation for improvements to the cabinet or the council.

What happens at council meetings?

The council meets about seven times a year and has overall responsibility for setting the council's budget and establishing committees to make decisions and review services.

• The council receives reports from the Leader and from Overview and Scrutiny committees.
• The council also considers recommendations from cabinet , Overview and Scrutiny committees or officers.
• The Mayor presides over the meeting, ensuring that business is properly conducted.
• Councillors may submit topics for debate at the council meeting, known as motions.

What happens at committee and sub-committee meetings?

The councillor who is the chair of the committee will guide the meeting through the agenda. Reports referred to on the front sheet can be found in the body of the agenda by looking for the item number which is on the top right hand corner of each report. Each page of the agenda is also numbered to make it easier to look things up.

A vote may be taken on the recommendations, which are found at the front of each report or which may be put forward by councillors at the meeting.

Can I come to the meetings?

Everyone is welcome to come to council and committee meetings to see how decisions are made. Seating has been arranged so people can see and hear what is going on.

The times and places for most meetings are published in the schedule of meetings on this website. Meetings are scheduled around every six weeks, although special meetings can be arranged if there is urgent business. Meetings to discuss planning matters are held on a three weekly cycle, however. Dates of meetings are set out in the schedule of meetings.

How can I find out what the meeting is about?

All items that are discussed at the meeting are set out in a document called the agenda. Copies of the agendas are available on this website, in local libraries and at the reception counters at the council's administrative buildings five days in advance of the meeting. If you would like a personal copy sent to your home, for which there may be a small charge, please use the contact details at the foot of the page. Spare copies of the agenda will be available on the night of the committee or sub-committee meeting.

Can I stay for the whole meeting?

Under the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the council may be required or may choose to discuss certain items in private. These will be discussed at the end of the meeting and the press and public will be asked to leave at this point. Please use the contact details at the foot of the page to find out more about such items. The council strives to ensure that meetings are as open as possible and many committee meetings do not have confidential items.

Where are meetings publicised?

Meetings are publicised in the council's monthly newspaper, Medway Matters, in the council's offices and local libraries and on this website - just use the link at the top of the page to see the schedule.

What if I miss the meeting?

All decisions taken are recorded in the minutes. These are available in local libraries, at the Civic Centre and on this website.

What is the role of officers?

The council employs officers to provide expert advice and information to councillors, to help them make their decisions. All committees are advised by specialist council officers on the business to be considered at the meeting: e.g. solicitors, accountants, housing managers, educationalists or social services officers.

Council officers attend the meetings to present reports and advise the committee but only councillors make decisions on these reports.

Officers within the Council Office are responsible for making the arrangements for the meeting, such as putting the agenda together, advising on procedure at the meeting and recording the decisions made.

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