Council decisions, interests and scrutiny

A council takes, records and opens to challenge every decision in public. Democratic services publish key decisions on the forward plan at least 28 clear days ahead and agendas at least five clear days before a meeting, marking any exempt item with its legal paragraph and public interest reason. Every decision paper follows one page: decision required, why now, sourced facts, financial effect, up to three options, risk, recommendation and implementation, with legal implications signed by the monitoring officer and finance implications signed by the Section 151 officer before it can go to a decision. Councillors keep their register of interests current and declare and withdraw at meetings. The named decision maker records the decision, reasons and alternatives rejected; publication starts the call-in clock; councillors can call the decision in and the scrutiny committee decides, with every recommendation tracked to a written executive response. Residents read every record without signing in. Agents draft, check and remind under their own identity and mandate; no agent decides, signs, declares for a councillor or publishes an exempt item.