Officers are the people employed, retained or appointed by the council to advise and support councillors and implement their decisions, and in the constitution, includes contractors, consultants and agency staff.
The council operates a cascade principle of delegation to ensure that decisions are taken at the most appropriate level closest to those who will be affected. This means that the majority of the council's decisions and actions are operational day-to-day decisions taken by its officers.
To ensure the smooth functioning of the council and the efficient delivery of services, Full Council and the Cabinet have delegated to officers all of the powers that they need to perform their roles. Certain officers have specific legal duties to ensure that the council acts within the law, uses its resources wisely and exercises its powers properly. These officers are known as Statutory or Proper Officers and some have specific legal titles in addition to their job titles.
The way the council structures its services and its officer arrangements changes from time to time to reflect changes in service delivery and best practice. The current arrangements include a Chief Executive/Head of Paid Service (as the most senior officer of the Council) supported by two other senior roles:
- Strategic Director (Place and Community)
- Strategic Director (Services)
The Council’s Management Board is made up of the Chief Officers, together with the Statutory Officers. There are also some formal functions that the council has to allocate to Proper Officers.
For more information see council structure and officers.
Under this scheme, Designated Officers can take decisions regarding all the functions in their areas of responsibility except in a few instances (for example, key decisions or where legal reasons prohibit it). Designated officers include:
- The Chief Executive
- Strategic Director (Place and Community)
- Strategic Director (Services)
- All Heads of Service
Designated officers can also delegate their powers.
More information
More information on the officer scheme of delegation is included in the full document on responsibility for functions: