Modernised Council decision-making
How decisions are made
The Council
The Executive
Scrutiny Panels
Local Development Committees
Committee and Board membership lists
In 2000, the Council moved from the traditional committee structure to a modernised system of democratic decision-making that is based on the following:
- the full Council
- the Executive
- seven Scrutiny Panels
- statutory and regulatory committees for planning, building control and licensing
- Joint Boards for Police, Fire, Valuation and Forth Road Bridge (now Forth Estuary Transport Authority)
- six Local Development Committees.
Committee structure diagram (PDF 346kB)
How decisions are made
Decisions of the Executive, with all supporting reports, are issued to all members of the Council by the end of the working day following the meeting of the Executive. No action is taken to carry out decisions for a further five working days.
Councillors are entitled to "call in" decisions, which will then be debated at Scrutiny Panels and referred to the Council or back to the Executive for a final decision.
The Council
The City of Edinburgh Council is made up of the 58 councillors who are elected by Edinburgh citizens. The Lord Provost chairs meetings of the full Council. The Council is responsible for:
- electing the Lord Provost, the Depute Convener, appointing committees, approving standing orders
- setting an annual Budget and the Council Tax
- reviewing the capital investment programme
- deciding on strategic objectives and corporate policies
- appointing or dismissing the Chief Executive and appointing any Chief Official.
- deciding on members' allowances
- considering issues on maintaining standards and conduct
- resolving disputes between the Executive and the Scrutiny Panels
- delegating functions to officers.
The Council meets monthly and is, for all legal purposes, the local authority.
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The Executive
The Executive is made up of 13 members of the Council and is appointed annually by the Council. It is responsible for:
- exercising strategic leadership of the Council and promoting its core values
- taking executive decisions within the budget and policy framework approved by Council
- developing community planning, working in partnership with external organisations
- recommending to the Council the budget and strategic policy framework
- developing new policies consistent with overall strategic approach of the Council
- requesting or commissioning research on matters of policy or service provision
- arranging and encouraging public participation and consultation
- ensuring effective communication of policies and strategies
- setting targets for service delivery
- securing best value
- responding to Government consultation papers and policies of outside organisations
- providing political accountability for the Council's performance.
Members of the Executive are each allocated an area of special responsibility:
- Leader
- Deputy Leader, Social Inclusion and Economic Development
- Human and Corporate Resources
- Health and Social Work
- Community Safety and Housing
- Children and Families
- Transport and Public Realm
- Business and Property Management
- Environmental Services
- Equalities and Older People
- Sport, Culture and leisure
- Modernising Government
- Sustainability and Finance
The Lord Provost and Deputy Council Convener are not members of the Executive.
The Council appoints a leader and deputy leader who act as convener and vice-convener of the Executive.
The Executive meets in public every two weeks. At alternate meetings of the Executive, a special part of the agenda is set aside for education issues so that additional members, including church and teacher representatives, can join the decision-making process.
The Executive membership list
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Scrutiny Panels
To help the Council scrutinise the activities of the Executive and hold it to account for its performance, the Council appoints seven Scrutiny Panels. Members of these panels are councillors of all parties who are not members of the Executive. The panels are responsible for:
- monitoring the performance of the Executive, departments and outside organisations, which receive funds from the Council, against service delivery and financial targets
- considering decisions of the Executive which have been called in
- commissioning reviews of particular issues and policies
- inviting individuals or organisations with expertise or particular interests to attend or contribute to meetings, either as regular participants or for a specific issue
- requesting the Executive member or head of department involved to answer questions or submit report on any matter that is relevant to their responsibilities
- requesting outside organisations to attend meetings or give evident or advice
- submitting comments and recommendations to the Executive and the Council.
- submitting reports on their activities to the Council.
The seven Scrutiny Panels cover the following areas of responsibility:
- Children and Young People
- Community Services
- Development of the City
- Environmental Quality
- Leisure and Cultural Development
- Resource Management and Audit
- Social Justice and Older People
Scrutiny Panel membership lists
Local Development Committees (LDCs)
Six LDCs have been set up to improve access to the Council and to give you the chance to comment on things that will affect your life, or the area you live in. There is a public question time at every LDC meeting.
Making Local Government Local - what LDCs do and how to get involved
LDC membership lists
Committee and Board membership lists
The Committee Membership page provides lists of the members of all current Council committees and joint boards.
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