Constitution

As required by the Local Government Act 2000, our Constitution 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 continually revises the constitution to reflect new governance arrangements, organisational structure and service responsibilities for Cheshire West and Chester. The current version includes updates and revisions as of 23 February 2018.

• Constitution (PDF, 9.32MB)

Alternatively you may view the document on a section-by-section basis:

• Foreword (PDF, 215KB)
• Defined terms (PDF, 76KB)

Part A  - Your Council

• A1 -  An Overview of Cheshire West and Chester (PDF, 258KB)
• A2 - Core Objectives and Principles of Decision Making (PDF, 272KB)
• A3 - Citizen Rights (PDF, 295KB)

Part B - The Council

• B1 - Council (PDF, 245KB)
• B2 - Committees (PDF, 325KB)
• B3 - Role of councillors (PDF, 253KB)
• B4 - Council procedure rules (PDF, 346KB)
• B5 - Committee procedure rules (PDF, 349KB)

Part C - The Cabinet

• C1 - The Cabinet (PDF, 444KB)
• C2 - Role of Cabinet Members (PDF, 275KB)
• C3 - Cabinet Procedure Rules (PDF, 338KB)

Part D - Area and joint working arrangements

• D1 - Joint Working Arrangements (PDF, 244KB)
• D2 - Area Working Arrangements (PDF, 243KB)

Part E - Scrutiny

• E1 - The Scrutiny Function (PDF, 251KB)
• E2 - The Role of Scrutiny Members (PDF, 229KB)
• E3 - Scrutiny Procedure Rules (PDF, 369KB)

Part F - Officers

• F1 - Officers (PDF, 263KB)
• F2 - Powers of Officers (PDF, 236KB)
• F3 - Officer Employment Procedure Rules (PDF, 260KB)

Part G - Appendices

• G1A - Member Code of Conduct (PDF, 251KB)
• G1B - Member Planning Protocol (PDF, 245KB)
• G2 - Officer Code of Conduct (PDF, 304KB)
• G3 - Member/Officer Relations Protocol (PDF, 267KB)

G4 - Finance and Contract Procedure Rules

• Introduction (PDF, 292KB)
• Financial Management (PDF, 295KB)
• Financial Planning (PDF, 288KB)
• Risk Management and Control of Resources (PDF, 328KB)
• Financial Systems and Procedures (PDF, 296KB)
• Contract Procedure Rules (PDF, 341KB)
• External Arrangements (PDF, 256KB)
• Collaborative Working (PDF, 207KB)
• Glossary (PDF, 264KB)

Any queries for Democratic Services?

Address

Democratic Services
Cheshire West and Chester Council
2nd Floor, HQ Building
58 Nicholas Street
Chester
CH1 2NP

Email

• democraticservices@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk