As required by the Local Government Act 2000, the Council has a Constitution which sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made, and the rules and procedures followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people.
The Council is currently revising the constitution, guided by six key principles:
- accessibility
- accountability
- accuracy
- efficiency
- inclusion
- transparency
The updated draft incorporates feedback from members, a best practice review and a number of focus groups with local people and key stakeholders. It was considered and approved by the Audit and Governance Committee on 29 September.
- Draft Constitution (PDF)
- Summary of the key constitution changes being proposed (PDF)
- Summary of the key changes to financial rules being proposed (PDF)
- Analysis of the focus groups with local people and key stakeholders (PDF)
Public and partner comments are invited on the draft Constitution by Monday 8 November. Please forward your comments to:
Proposed changes to the constitution will be further considered by Audit and Governance Committee on the 23 November and all members at full Council on the 16 December. The proposal is that the revised constitution will be implemented on the 1 April 2022.
Although comments on the current draft are welcomed by 8 November to ensure they can be reviewed and changes considered prior to adoption, the Constitution is a live, evolving document which is regularly under review. The Council always welcomes feedback on the Constitution and how residents and stakeholders can engage in decision making. There is an open ended invitation to provide any feedback to the Monitoring Officer of the Council at any time monitoringofficer@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
