Committee structure

Full Council

The county council comprises 84 councillors who all meet in full council at least six times a year. All meetings are broadcast live on our website as part of our policy of bringing decision-making closer to the public.

The main role of the full council is:

to appoint the Leader
to approve the constitution and any amendments to it;
to determine policies that set the framework in which the county council carries out its functions; and
to set the county council's budget and Council Tax levels.

Full Council

Executive (Cabinet)

Within the budgetary and policy frameworks set by the Full Council, the Cabinet is responsible for carrying out almost all of the Council’s functions in delivering services to the community; mainly Children and Young People Services, Adult and Community Services, Highways and Transportation, Planning and the Environment, and Public Protection.

The Cabinet meets generally once a month, and can hold such other meetings as the Leader may consider necessary.

All meetings of the Cabinet are broadcast live on our website as part of our policy of bringing decision-making closer to the public.

The Cabinet can establish Committees, Working Groups or Panels – see below.

Cabinet Working Groups

The following working groups have been established to assist the Cabinet. They cannot take any decisions and access to agenda/minutes may be restricted to members of the working group.

Corporate Parenting Board

Scrutiny

The County Council has established five Scrutiny Committees. Scrutiny Committees have no power to make decisions or to make others act on their recommendations. However, the Council's Cabinet, relevant partners and NHS bodies must consider and respond to what has been recommended. Similarly, when looking at external organisations, Scrutiny Committees can still formulate recommendations, but they cannot make those organisations comply with them.

The Committees work to deliver local public sector accountability. They are able to require the Council's decision-makers, as well as those of its key partners, to account for their decisions and actions. They do not consider individual complaints, which must be made through the Council's complaints procedure.

The Committees are also a key mechanism for reviewing Council policies and services, as well as services delivered by other organisations in Lancashire.

Other Council Committees

By law, some important Council functions cannot be undertaken by the Cabinet, and some of these functions are exercised by the following Committees:

Joint Committees

The following Joint Committees have been set up with District Councils to carry out responsibilities that have been delegated to them:

· Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Joint Advisory Committee

· Joint Advisory Committee for Strategic Planning

· Pennine Lancashire Joint Committee

Police and Crime Panel for Lancashire

Other bodies

The County Council provides support to the following bodies. They are not Council Committees

· Lancashire Local Access Forum

· Lancashire SACRE – Quality and Standards Sub-Group

· Lancashire Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE)

· Lancashire Waste Partnership

· Lancashire Waste PFI Project Liaison Group

· Public Rights of Way and Access Forum

· Rivington and Brinscall Local Advisory Group (administrative support is no longer provided by the County Council)

· West Pennine Moors Area Management Committee (administrative support is no longer provided by the County Council)