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Publication Scheme

• Publication Scheme Contents
• Your Rights to Access Information
• How Bexley Council Works
• How to Obtain Information
• Classes of Information
• How the Classes Were Put Together
• Exemptions
• Individual Requests from January 2005
• Fees and Charges
• Further Help
• Reviewing Bexley Council's Publication Scheme
• Copyright

Schedule of Classes

• Schedule of Classes Contents

Public Sector Information

• The Reuse of Public Sector Information

Contact Details

• Freedom of
  Information Officer,
  Bexley Council
  Local Studies and
  Archives Centre,
  Townley Road,
  Bexleyheath, Kent,
  DA6 7HJ
• 020 8303 7777 ext. 3369
• 020 8304 7058
• foi@bexley.gov.uk

Useful Links

• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Information Commissioner's Office
• Read All About It - Information available under the Freedom of Information Act (PDF format, 47kB)

Publication Scheme

2. How Bexley Council Works

2.1 Bexley Council

Bexley has a population of over 220,000. The Council has 63 elected Councillors and employs over 5,000 people. It is responsible for a wide range of services and plays a key role in championing the interests of the local community. It works with, amongst others, the local police and NHS to improve the quality of life, well being and safety of its residents.

Bexley Council provides a wide range of services. Details of some of them can be found by using our "A to Z of Services" on the website at http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/service.html and in the documents referred to in the Schedule of Classes under Class 5. Broadly these include:

• Education
• Environmental Services
• Housing
• Leisure
• Planning
• Public Protection
• Social Services

2.2 How Bexley Council is organised to make decisions

Further information about how Bexley Council makes decisions is available in the Constitution and Code of Corporate Governance, which is referred to under Class 4.

The Council operates governance arrangements which are similar to the Parliamentary model. All 63 elected councillors meet together as the full Council. They make decisions on the Council's future, policies and strategies as well as setting the budget each year and the level of Council Tax. The Council appoints a Leader of the Council and a Cabinet, various overview Scrutiny Committees, Regulatory Committees, a Standards Committee and other advisory and consultative bodies.
The Leader and Cabinet are at the heart of the day-to-day decision-making process. They have considerable freedom and responsibilities but operate within an overall policy framework set by the full Council. The current Cabinet is made up of the Leader of the Council and 9 other Members of the Council. The Leader of the Council provides overall leadership to the Council.

Cabinet members each have a "portfolio". Like government ministers, these portfolios cover all areas of the Council, divided into four themes:

• Corporate Community Affairs and Social Inclusion
• Environment, Transport and Regeneration
• Education, Leisure, Arts and Culture
• Social Services, Health, Housing and Neighbourhood Renewal

The Cabinet meets at least once a month and takes decisions within a framework of policies and the budget set by the full Council.

The Leader and Cabinet have quite far-reaching powers and so mechanisms have been put in place to keep a check on what they do. Their decisions will be scrutinised by the Councillors who are not in the Cabinet. There are several Overview and Scrutiny Committees covering the four themes mentioned above, which keep Cabinet decisions and policies under review.

Every month the Council publishes a "Forward Plan" which sets out the main decisions that the Council intends to take over the following four months. This and all agendas, reports and decisions produced by the Council are published on our web site.

 
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