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Our constitution

Our constitution sets out how we operate, how decisions are made, and the procedures we follow to ensure these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people.

Some of these processes are required by law, while we chose to include others. We keep the constitution under review at all times, and the most recent version was approved by Full Council on 18 June 2015 and amended to include the revised Scheme of Allowances on 1 April 2016.

You can read our full constitution, and a shorter digest, by following the links at the bottom of the page. The digest is not definitive, but aims to provide a concise overview of the constitution. The digest is 15 pages long, and the whole constitution is over 300 pages.

What does it include?

Our constitution is made up of seven parts:

  1. Introduction - why we have a constitution and what purpose it serves
  2. Articles - what the different elements of the constitution mean and the way we are governed
  3. Responsibility for functions – this details which items are covered by Full Council, City Mayor or delegated to council committees and/or officers
  4. Procedure rules – this contains nine sub sections about procedures in areas such as meetings, access to information, budgets, the purchase and sale of land, and recruitment of senior officers
  5. Codes, protocols and political conventions - this covers the working relationship between councillors and officers.
  6. Members allowance scheme – details the allowances paid to elected councillors to reimburse them for their work for us
  7. Management structure – the structure of senior managers and the staff working under them.

In addition, we have developed and adopted a local code of corporate governance. This is a public statement of the arrangements we have in place to ensure we conduct our business in a way that upholds the highest standards.

Our code of corporate governance demonstrates the our adherence to the seven principles of public life. The are defined by the Committee on Standards in Public Life as selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. This document, together with the council’s Annual Governance Statement, is attached below.

If you have problems accessing or viewing the Annual Governance Statement (2018-2019) document below, please send us an email Amy.oliver@leicester.gov.uk.