Decision making by officers

Decisions are made in the council every day. These decisions are about all sorts of things, including how we provide services, and raise taxes.

Some decisions could affect large numbers of the city’s residents, while others might only have a very small effect.  The level of impact that a decision might have affects how the decision can be made.  The most significant type of decision is a ‘key’ decision.  A key decision is one which results in the authority spending or saving over £500,000, or is likely to have a significant effect on communities living or working in an area of one or more wards.

List of forthcoming key decisions

The list of forthcoming key decisions External link provides brief details about the key decisions we expect to be taken in the council at least 28 clear days in advance.  The list of forthcoming key decisions is published on the website.  The document explains what the decision is about and how it will be made.  It also explains how people can give their views on the matter.  Occasionally a key decision may need to be made urgently, which means it can not be entered on to the list of forthcoming key decisions.

Which officers can make decisions

The officer delegation scheme (in part 3 of the constitution) sets out which officers can make decisions, and which decisions they can make.  An officer who can take decisions under the delegation scheme may authorise other officers to make these decisions on their behalf.  This is known as sub-delegation.

Each director has a sub-delegation scheme which sets out which officers may take decisions on their behalf, and which decisions each officer may take.  These schemes are available to view in the Democracy document library.

How are these decisions recorded

The most significant types of decisions made by officers are recorded in writing and are published in the decisions register, along with a report giving the background to the decision.

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