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Decision-making
Who?
Decisions can be made by the full Council, by the Leader and Cabinet (the Executive) either together or by any of its individual members (Portfolio Holders), by Committees, or by Council officers.
The rules for who can make which decisions are set out in the Council's Constitution: Part 3 (This link will open in a new window) sets out the responsibilities of Council, the Executive and the Committees; the Delegation Rules in Part 4 (This link will open in a new window) and the Chief Executive's Scheme of Delegation (This link will open in a new window) set out which decisions can be made by officers.
For example, the biggest decisions, like setting the council tax, are reserved for the full Council, whereas officers may make decisions about individual grants to voluntary groups or for village facilities.
What?
The responsibilities of the District Council are set out in various Local Government Acts and are summarised on the About the Council page. SCDC works in partnership with neighbouring councils and a range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations to deliver services.
See also the Council's Aims, Approaches and Actions, agreed annually by the Council at the same time as budget, describe how the Council will achieve its corporate objectives and priorities.
Where?
Nearly all decisions are made in public, usually at South Cambridgeshire Hall in Cambourne, and we also hold some meetings at venues around the district when there are items of particular local interest. Portfolio Holders can take ad hoc decisions, subject to five clear working days' public notice being given, but most of their decision-making takes place at public meetings. Special provisions exist for urgent decisions when there isn't time to have a public meeting or give the minimum public notice that the decision will be taken, but such cases are extremely rare.
When?
In the middle of each month we publish the forward plan (This link will open in a new window), a rolling four-month programme of significant forthcoming decisions. This plan details who will make the decision and when, what consultation has already been undertaken, and provide the contact details for the lead councillor and officer involved so you can get in touch if you want further information or to make representations.
Why?
Reports are published at least one week before a decision is taken, and include the officer recommendation and the reasons for that recommendation, as well as alternatives considered and the pros and cons of each. This gives the decision-maker and any interested parties time to consider the matter thoroughly so that an informed decision is made. There's also time to contact the officer who wrote the report if further clarification is needed.
Details of all decisions taken are published within two days of it being taken, including the reasons for that decision, other options considered and why they weren't the preferred option, and who was consulted about the decision and what comments they made.
