Your council has a Chair of Cabinet and a Cabinet for decision making. The introduction of the executive system aims to make it plain who is responsible for decisions. It is made up of eight portfolio holders who make the day to day decisions affecting their areas of responsibility.

To check on the actions of the executive, overview and scrutiny committees have been formed with the power to look closely at the decisions of the cabinet and review the policies of the council.

The full council is made up of all 58 members and has the role of setting the annual budget and overall policy framework for the council. Scrutiny may also refer unresolved call-in issues to full council.

The cabinet is made up of a group of councillors who meet on a regular basis throughout the year. Each cabinet member has a portfolio of services. They work closely with council officers and heads of service, to make many decisions that affect services.

The eight portfolios are held by the Liberal Democrat group.

A Forward Plan covering a four month period is published monthly on the Council's website - Forward Plan

Copies are sent to the Press, Parish/Town Councils and local libraries. An annual statement is published in the Press explaining what the Forward Plan is, and where and when it will be available.

Cabinet must work within the budget and policy framework set by the full council.

There are two overview and scrutiny committees.

The committees are made up of councillors from all parties who have the job of looking closely at, or scrutinising, the work of the council and its executive. They also have the power to call-in decisions made by cabinet members before they are implemented.

Scrutiny's power to review involves looking closely at a particular service or policy over a short period of time to make suggestions for improvement. The review may take the form of: analysis of policy, carrying out research and conducting consultation. It can also involve the questioning of portfolio holders, officers and members of the public to act as witnesses. The committee also has the power to co-opt members of the public or an organisation because of their expert knowledge on a particular subject.

The Committee Chairs are:

Councillor Frearson		Planning (Development Control) Committee Central
Councillor Chambers		Planning (Development Control) Committee North
Councillor Harrison		Planning (Development Control) Committee South
Councillor Brazier		Planning Referrals Committee
Councillor Steer		Licensing and General Purposes Committee
Mr R. Hershbein		Standards Committee

Council dates for 2008/09 are:

Submit your question via online e-form. You may also submit your question to:-

Daniel Goodwin,
Chief Executive
District Council Offices,
Civic Centre,
St. Peter's Street,
AL1 3JE,

or e-mail your question addressed to the Chief Executive, to questions@stalbans.gov.uk.

Questions must be received by midday, 2 working days before each council meeting.

Speaking at Meetings

You can put your point of view to members of the council at meetings where decisions are made regarding planning and licensing applications

Planning committees - you can speak for up to three minutes for or against a planning application, but you will not be able to ask questions. One person can speak in favour and one against each planning application.

Licensing and general purposes committee - up to six people can speak on agenda items for up to three minutes each, but will not be able to ask questions.

To speak at planning or licensing meetings you can notify us by telephone on the day of the meeting using the following telephone numbers:

Planning meetings: St Albans and Sandridge tel: 01727 819344
The rest of the district tel: 01727 819345 between 10am and 2.30pm.
Licensing and general purposes tel: 01727 819519 between 9am and 3pm.

There is an Infra Red hearing system in place for meetings in the Council Chamber, Committee Rooms and for Council meetings at Harpenden Public Hall. Advice on the use of the system will be provided at the meeting by a Corporate Administrator, who will be wearing a name badge.

Meetings of the Planning (Development Control) Committees South and Central which are held in the Council Chamber are broadcast live over the internet. Everyone who enters the Council Chamber for a meeting of either Committee is advised that they are giving permission for video (images and sound) to be recorded and transmitted live and as an archive over the intranet and by any other means that the Council may decide to use, at its discretion, in the future. The webcast will be made available in the public domain for future viewing purposes, which can be accessed from the Council’s website (www.stalbans.gov.uk) or directly from www.stalbans.ukcouncil.net/site.

Reports on which decisions were taken can be found (from 1 April 2003) on the Agendas webpage . Agendas are listed according to the committee that they apply to. The Committee Minutes webpage contains the decisions made on those reports, and contains Minutes back to October 1986. The Committee Minutes webpage contains a search facility if you do not know the date of the decision you wish to find. Having found the date of a decision by searching the Committee Minutes webpage you can then find the report on the Agendas webpage if the meeting was after 1 April 2003. If you have any difficulties in tracing a report or Committee Minute please e-mail corporateadmin@stalbans.gov.uk who will be pleased to help.