London boroughs are now all run under a cabinet system, in which the Executive is drawn from the majority group or coalition in the full Council, which elects a leader, who then appoints a number of Councillors to hold portfolios responsible for individual departments and functions. Other Councillors, known as ‘back benchers’, scrutinize the work of the Executive.
The Executive or Cabinet
The Executive is a group of ten Councillors that takes most of the decisions on what the Council does. It is made up of a Leader and nine other Councillors. Each member of the Cabinet takes responsibility for a policy portfolio and a department which delivers these policies and the relevant local services. They are the formal link between Councillors and officers in terms of the overall direction in which the Council is working and performance management.
The Executive is the body which gives direction to the Chief Executive and the Corporate Management Team, and holds those employees to account for their performance, and is also responsible for ensuring appropriate links with external partners. The Executive pays particular attention to the effective and appropriate use of the Council's resources (workforce, finances and assets).
For example it is responsible for:
- Developing policy, budget and Council Tax proposals for agreement by the Assembly
- Making important decisions about the day-to-day work of the Council based on the policies and priorities set by the Assembly
- Ensuring the Council works effectively with its partners on behalf of the community
Forward Plan
The Forward Plan is a document that sets out the decisions that the Executive, individual Members and sub-groups of the Executive are expected to take over the next four months, together with key decisions taken by officers.
All local authorities must publish a Forward Plan containing details of all key decisions to be taken.
The Forward Plan explains how people can make representations to the decision-makers.
A new Forward Plan is produced every month with any outstanding matters contained in previous plans included in the latest one. The current and previous plans are available to view at:
http://moderngov.redbridge.gov.uk/mgListPlans.asp?RPId=267
It is also available in Libraries, Idea Stores, One Stop Shops, and the Council's main offices at the Town Hall, High Road, Ilford and may be inspected free of charge.
