Warrants of Office

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Council Constitution

Part 3b - Cabinet Positions - Warrants Of Office

The Council has an Executive Cabinet as part of its Constitution.

Each Member of the Cabinet has a ‘Warrant of Office’, setting out their role and responsibilities. Job descriptions have also been drawn up for Councillors who support the Cabinet.

There are 10 Members of the Executive Cabinet which is chaired by the Executive Leader. The Cabinet is supported by six Cabinet Secretaries, an Aide-de-Camp and a Project Head (Heritage and Tourism) and a Project Head (Sport and Leisure).

Warrants of Office for all these posts are set out in this part of the Constitution.

Cabinet

Support to the Cabinet

Aide-de-Camp
Cabinet Secretaries
- Personal and Community Services
- Co-ordination Services and Lifelong Learning
- Economic Services/Technical
- First Deputy/Services for Children and Young People
- Without Portfolio
- Environmental Services and to support Project Heads
Project Head (Heritage and Tourism)
Project Head (Sport and Leisure)

Responsibilities of all Cabinet Deputies

Preamble

There are occasions when matters affect more than one portfolio, on such occasions, the Cabinet Members concerned shall act in conjunction with one another.

In discharging any functions that have been delegated, the Cabinet Member must act lawfully. This means that the Cabinet Member must act within the scope of the authority that is delegated to him or her in accordance with any limits within the delegation, this Constitution, Council policies, procedure rules and the Members’ Code of Conduct, taking advice of the Statutory Monitoring Officers - the Borough Solicitor and Borough Treasurer.

Each Cabinet Member is responsible for:-

The proper administration of the Council's services.
Ensuring adequate staffing, premises and other resources to secure agreed standards and target outcomes in the area of each portfolio.
The efficient use and day to day maintenance of Council premises insofar as it relates to their portfolio, subject to the overall strategy agreed by the Cabinet Deputy for Economic Services.
Ensuring budget control.
Ensuring that the £10,000 budget expenditure of each Cabinet Deputy and Project Head, that is allocated at the start of each Municipal Year, will be spent in accordance with the terms of the individual Warrant of Office and such expenditure will be reported quarterly to Board.
Approving use of specific grants and/or funding from non-governmental sources, and any annual delivery plans and agreements in relation to such funding.
The continuous improvement of the Council’s services through a programme of work.
Liaising with the relevant Council Scrutiny Panel.
All decisions proposed and made within the Warrant of Office.
The promotion of the Council’s policies and communication with the public as appropriate through local and other media, ensuring always that publications are compliant with the Council’s publications, guidelines and/or any advice provided by the Borough Solicitor.
The promotion of the Council’s existing policies.
Speaking up on matters of local concern and acting as the main Council spokesperson on issues within their Warrant of Office.
Approving exemptions to Procurement Standing Orders in conjunction with the Borough Solicitor and Borough Treasurer.
Giving approval to proceed to advertisement or other method of securing competition by procurement procedure rules; and for inviting and accepting tenders and quotations related to matters within their portfolio in excess of £60,000 and approving all specifications/tender documentation.
Applying for planning permission; conservation area consent; listed building consent or any other permissions or consents necessary to progress the Council’s own development schemes.
In conjunction with the Senior Management Officer, setting new external charges and revisiting current ones.
In consultation with the Executive Leader, to represent and act as an ambassador for the Authority.
To represent the Council’s views on matters of corporate or strategic policy and any other matters which are within the Cabinet Members’ Terms of Reference.
To request or commission research and other studies on any matters of policy or service provision within these Terms of Reference.
To appoint or nominate the Authority’s representatives on outside bodies/organisations that fall within these Terms of Reference.
To take up corporate Membership of any appropriate body or organisation whose objectives are considered to be beneficial to the pursuit of the Authority’s own activities.
To take urgent decisions on matters which fall within the Cabinet Members’ Terms of Reference.
To work with other Cabinet Members on matters, as directed by the Executive Leader.
To submit to the Executive Cabinet:-
- Proposals on how to agree annual budget allocations between services covered by these Terms of Reference
- Recommendations in respect of strategic policy concerning matters covered by these Terms of Reference
- All responses to consultation papers, relating to these Terms of Reference, issued by the Government and outside organisations
- Annual estimates of expenditure and income in respect of services covered by these Terms of Reference
- All policy and/or operational matters which have corporate implications or which cross the remits of other individual Deputies.
To oversee the timely progress of Service Reviews within the remit of the Cabinet Deputy.

Page last updated: 8 July 2008