Article 4 – The Full Council

4.01    Meanings

(a)        Policy Framework:  The policy framework means the following plans and strategies:-

¨ The Council Plan

¨ Local Transport Plan

¨ Plans and strategies which together comprise the Development Plan

¨ Medium Term Financial Strategy

¨ Council Tax Reduction Scheme

¨ Discretionary Relief Rules

¨ Statement of Licensing Policy

¨ Statement of Principles (Gambling Act 2005)

¨ Economic Development Strategy 

¨ Treasury Management Policy and Strategy

¨ Corporate Risk Management Policy

¨ Children and Young People’s Plan

¨ Youth Justice Plan

¨ Education Capital Local Policy Statement

¨ Home to School/College Transport Policy

¨ Strategy for Children in Care and Care Leavers

¨ Admissions Policy for Community and Voluntary Schools

¨ Local Management in Schools (LMS) Formula

¨ Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy

¨ Allocations Scheme for the provision of social housing

¨ Homelessness review and Homelessness Strategy

¨ Policy for the Provision of Housing Assistance

¨ Affordable Housing Development Strategy

¨ Library Strategy

¨ Waste Management Strategy

¨ Household Waste Recycling Centre Policies

¨ Highway Asset Management Policy

¨ Highway Asset Management Strategy

¨ Community Safety Partnership Strategy

(a) Budget:  The budget includes the allocation of financial resources to different services and projects, proposed contingency funds, the council tax base, setting the council tax and decisions relating to the Council’s borrowing requirement, and the control of its capital expenditure.

(c)        Virement:  Virement is the transfer of budget provision between individually defined budget headings.  It is dealt with in Financial Procedure Rules approved by full Council, and included in Part 4 of this Constitution.

4.02 Functions of the Full Council

Only the Council will exercise the following functions:

(a)        adopting and changing the Constitution (including the exercise of all legal powers to make standing orders) (subject to Article 15);

(b)        adopting the policy framework and the budget;

(c)        taking any decision which is contrary to the approved policy framework and/or the budget (except in cases of urgency, where the procedure set out in the Access to Information Procedure Rules applies);

(d)        electing the Leader of the Executive;

(e)        agreeing and/or amending the terms of reference for committees, deciding on their composition and making appointments to them;

(f)        subject to Article 11.06 appointing representatives to outside bodies unless the appointment is an Executive function or has been delegated by the Council (for details of who makes appointments to outside bodies, see Schedule 5 to Part 3);

(g)        making an allowances scheme under Article 2.05, and determining the amount of all allowances payable to Members of the Council and its committees;

(h)        changing the name of the County;

(i) through the Chief Officers Appointments and Disciplinary Committee, making the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer (Head of Paid Service), and other Chief Officers;

(j)         designating officers to be the Council’s Head of Paid Service, Chief Finance Officer, Monitoring Officer and Scrutiny Officer, and appointing officers as Proper Officer for particular purposes (see Article 12);

(k)        conferring the title of honorary alderman/alderwoman;

(l) making, amending, revoking, re-enacting or adopting bylaws and promoting or opposing the making of local legislation or personal Bills;

(m) making arrangements for the proper administration of the Council’s financial affairs;

(n) all local choice functions as set out in Part 3 of this Constitution as ones which the Council will itself undertake; and

(o)        all other matters which, by law, must be reserved to Council.

4.03    Council Meetings

There are three types of Council meeting:

(a)        the annual meeting;

(b)        ordinary meetings;

(b) extraordinary meetings;

and they will be conducted in accordance with the Council Procedure Rules in Part 4 of this Constitution.

4.04    Responsibility for Functions

The Council will maintain Part 3 of this Constitution setting out the responsibilities for the Council’s functions which are not the responsibility of the Executive.