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Constitution

What is the Council's Constitution?

The Council has agreed a Constitution which sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures which are followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people. Some of these processes are required by law, while others were chosen by the Council.

The Constitution is divided into sixteen Articles which set out the basic rules governing the Council’s business. More detailed procedures and codes of practice are provided in separate rules and protocols at the end of the document. In total there are seven parts to the Constitution.

What is in the Constitution?

Article 1 of the Constitution commits the Council to provide clear leadership to the community in partnership with residents, businesses and other organisations; support the active involvement of the public in the decision-making process; take decisions efficiently and effectively; identify clearly those responsible for decision making and hold them to public account; and improve the delivery of services to the community. Articles 2 –16 explain the rights of members of the public and how the key parts of the Council operate.

Part Four of the Constitution sets out the Rules of Procedure under which the Council, Cabinet and Scrutiny operates, as well as the rights of access to information for the public.

How is the Constitution changed?

The Council's Governance Committee reviews the Constitution annually, and a set of recommendations are submitted to Council for consideration.

 The constitution is available in pdf format

Contact Democratic Services

Tel: 01304 872304
E-mail: democraticservices@dover.gov.uk

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