Brief guide to Breckland District Council

Councillors are elected by local people to run the Council. In practice, the delivery of services and day-to-day management of the Council is carried out by officers of the Council. Councillors will initiate and develop policies, but officers are responsible for providing advice and implementation.

Traditionally, the decision-making structure of the Council has been divided into several tiers. Beneath the full Council, there used to be several committees organised by service or subject. Beneath these were sub-committees and working groups established to deal with specific issues. All councillors, sitting as full Council, would receive recommendations from the various committees which it would accept, reject, or amend.

Following the Local Government Act 2000, Breckland District Council adopted a new decision-making structure in the form of a Leader and Cabinet system. This was revised in 2011 and became the Strong Leader and Executive (or Cabinet) Model. Cabinet is the part of the Council that is responsible for making most day-to-day decisions. However, although not responsible for day-to-day decision-making, full Council is where all councillors meet to debate, and take decisions on, constitutional issues, the budget, the Council's policies, and the appointment of senior officers, amongst other things.

Cabinet does not have responsibility for quasi-judicial and regulatory functions such as planning and licensing, and these are delegated by the Council to separate decision-making committees. There is also an Overview and Scrutiny Commission which provide for councillors who are not on the Cabinet to scrutinise Cabinet decisions and influence Council policies in development.

In 2024, the decision-making structure of the Council looks like this:

• Council - all 48 Members (plus one vacancy)
• Cabinet (group in control only) - 9 Members
• General Purposes Committee - 6 Members
• Governance & Audit Committee - 6 Members
• Licensing Committee(s) - 15 Members
• Planning Committee - 12 Members
• Overview Scrutiny Commission - 12 Members
• Appointments and Disciplinary - 3 Members
• Appointments and Disciplinary Appeals - 4 Members

The Cabinet comprises:

• The Leader of the Council
• The Deputy Leader of the Council

and Portfolio Holders for:

• Health and Communities
• Housing and Homelessness
• Waste, Environmental Health, Licensing and Sustainability
• Customer and Corporate Services
• Economic Development and Growth 
• Property, Projects and Procurement
• Finance, Revenue and Benefits
• Strategic and Operational Planning (Deputy Leader)

Further information about the role of the Cabinet and its Members can be found on our Council Information page.