How the council is funded
Funding is provided in three main ways.
- About two thirds of the money comes from central Government, including a share of business rates
- A small proportion comes from other income including parking permits and leisure facility fees
- The rest comes from council tax, which is set locally
Visit our budgets and spending pages to find out more.
Services
The council provides a large number of services for local people, businesses and visitors to the borough, including services for children and adults, and environmental, cultural, sports, housing, planning and benefits services.
Wards
The borough is split into 28 electoral wards, and local elections are held every four years. View a map of the wards and local councillors.
Structure
The council comprises three main political functions, the Executive (Leader and Cabinet), Committees, and Scrutiny.
The Elected Mayor and Cabinet
The Elected Mayor and their Cabinet are responsible and accountable for shaping policies and plans and recommending them to the council for approval. Cabinet also gives direction to departmental directors on the way services are managed and the budgets allocated to them.
Find out more about the Elected Mayor's role.
Committees
Six non-executive committees take decisions relating to planning, licensing, standards of behaviour and conduct for members and officers, staffing issues, tenders, property transactions, liaison with local utility companies and internal audit.
Scrutiny
Scrutiny holds the council executive functions to account. Examining aspects of council performance, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee also increasingly involves other local agencies which contribute to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the local population.
For more information on the council and its committees visit our democracy and elections web page.