Lewes District Council

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Committee Services
Lewes District Council
32 High Street
Lewes
East Sussex
BN7 2LX


Tel: 01273 484201
committees@lewes.gov.uk
Minicom 01273 484488

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Cabinet & Committees

Lewes district councillors sit on various committees and make decisions on the services the council provides to the local community.

Councillors are not full-time employees of the council. They are local people elected to represent Lewes district residents and make decisions on their behalf. They make decisions about the services the council provides. This is done through a series of committees.

There are 21 wards in the Lewes district. Each ward returns, or votes in, one, two or three councillors depending on the number of residents in that area. This makes a total of 41 councillors across the district.

Chair of the Council

The Council elects a Chair each year. It's their duty to lead Council meetings and conduct civic and social engagements for the benefit of local communities.

Further information on the role of the Chair is available, including their engagement diary and expenses.

Leader Of The Council

Each political group has a leader and the leader of the largest group becomes the Leader of the Council.

Previous leaders

1973 - 1977 Councillor L J F Preddy
1977 - 1978 Councillor Mrs J F Cumberlege
1978 - 1980 Councillor D A W Wheeler
1980 - 1987 Councillor R R Robinson
1987 - 1991 Councillor K Moorhouse
1991 - 1997 Councillor N J Baker
1997 - 1999 Councillor N A Commin
1999 -  current Councillor A C De Vecchi


 

Cabinet

The Cabinet has nine members and meets approximately every six weeks. It makes most of the more important decisions.  It is led by the Leader of the Council. Other Cabinet members have a specific area of responsibility, for which they are the Lead Council spokespeople. Three other councillors sit on Cabinet meetings but do not have a specific responsibility 

Council Meeting

Decision-making is split mainly between the Cabinet and full Council, with many of the day-to-day decisions being taken by our officers and staff. Decisions relating to the Council's budget and the major policy decisions are decided at full Council meetings, which all 41 district councillors attend. All councillors meet together at Council Meetings to decide overall policies and set yearly budgets. These are normally open to the public. The Council appoints the members of the Cabinet and other committees. They hold these to account and consider recommendations made to them.

Committees

There are numerous committees that make decisions about different parts of the Council's responsibilities. Each is represented by different elected members, with the numbers sitting different depending on committee. The dates for each meeting, plus the agendas detailing what will be discussed are published in advance.

Officer’s Involvement

Officers are paid employees of the Council. The role of an officer attending a Cabinet or Review Board meeting is to offer professional advice to councillors before decisions are made. The elected councillors make the decisions. A committee administrator also attends the meeting to take notes and records the outcome in the minutes.

Public Questions

Members of the public are welcome at meetings of full Council, Cabinet and other committees and sub-committees.