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Welcome to Wealden
Wealden District Council is ambitious for the future of our communities.
Our mission is to be an enabling and enterprising Council, working alongside our communities to create a greener, fairer, and kinder district for present and future generations.
Our vision is for Wealden to be a place where people and nature thrive together.
The Council Strategy sets out our priorities and values. In delivering on these we will be open, honest, transparent, efficient and financially responsible. One of the ways we achieve this is through our policy and decision-making arrangements, set out in our Constitution.
This updated Constitution sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures, which are followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent, and accountable to local people. Some of these processes are required by the law, while others are a matter for the Council to choose.
We recognise that collaboration and partnership working are key to our way of working. Many organisations – county council, town and parish councils, local businesses, voluntary and charitable sectors – provide the services which are, and will continue to be, essential to life in Wealden and we recognise that partnership work is critical to achieve our aims. We will continue to look for ways to involve, engage and empower residents and local communities in how we do things. We will do everything we can to ensure our services, information and decision-making arrangements are clear, easy to understand and accessible.
We have made some changes to our Constitution to make the content easier to read and navigate and would welcome any feedback and suggestions.
If you have any comments or need further information or help with this document, please contact the Democratic Services Team or your local councillor.
Trevor Scott
Chief Executive
Introduction
Welcome to the Constitution of Wealden District Council. This document serves as the foundational framework for our governance, outlining the principles, structures, and processes that guide our operations and decision-making.
Our Constitution is designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective representation for all members of our community. We aim to foster a collaborative environment where every voice is heard and valued. Our commitment is to serve our community with integrity, dedication, and a focus on continuous improvement. At the heart of this are our Values.
Our Values
Work Together
- One organisation
- One district
- One team
Empathy
- Listening
- Connection
- Collaboration
- Respect and Dignity
Ambitious
- Purposeful
- Enterprising
- Innovative
Lead
- Accountability
- Embracing change
- Improvement
- Leading by example
Deliver
- Planning
- Meeting deadlines
- Communication
- Achievement through learning and working across boundaries
HOW THE COUNCIL WORKS
Councillors
Election and Term of Office
The Council is comprised of 45 Councillors who are elected for a 4-year term of office. Any Councillor elected at a by-election will serve the remainder of the 4-year term for the particular seat in question.
Role of Councillors
A Councillor’s primary role is to represent their ward and the people who live in it. Councillors provide a bridge between the community and the Council. Further information about the role of Councillors can be found in [Role Profiles.]
Access to Information by Councillors
All Councillors have the right to access information held by the Council in accordance with the [Access to Information Procedure Rules.]
Allowances
Councillors are entitled to receive an allowance in accordance with the [Members Allowances Scheme.] The specific rates for the current year are in a separate [Appendix A1].
Conduct
Councillors must always adhere to:
- the [Councillors’ Code of Conduct;] and have regard to (but not limited to):
- the [Protocol for Member and Officer Relationships;
- Planning Code of Good Practice;
- Media Relations Protocol; and
- Social Media Protocol
Full Council
The Full Council is a formal meeting of all Councillors.
The Full Council holds responsibility for a range of important functions including (i) appointing the Leader, (ii) appointing various Committees to undertake the business of the Council and (iii) setting the [Council’s Budget and Policy Framework]. The contact details of all Councillors can be found on the Council’s website: www.wealden.gov.uk
The Cabinet
The Council has chosen to adopt the Leader and Cabinet model. The Cabinet is led by the Leader. The Leader has the authority to select individual Councillors to serve alongside them, collectively sharing the leadership and strategic direction of the Council. Details of the Cabinet and their Portfolios are set out [here.]
Scrutiny and Performance Committee
The Council is legally required to establish at least one Committee with responsibility for overview and scrutiny. The Council has established a [Scrutiny and Performance Committee] to fulfil this function.
Officers
Council employees are referred to as “Officers”. Officers are responsible for providing expert advice, implementing decisions, overseeing the day-to-day delivery of Council services and making decisions within the scope of their delegated authority (see [Officer Scheme of Delegation)].
Officers must always adhere to the principles contained in:
- The [Officer Code of Conduct]; and
- The [Protocol for Member and Officer Relationships.]
Statutory Officers
The Council is required by law to appoint three Statutory Officers. These are:
- The [Head of Paid Service;] appointment held by the Chief Executive;
- The [Section 151 Officer] appointment held by the Chief Financial Officer; and
- The [Monitoring Officer]; appointment held by the Chief Legal and Governance Officer.
The Council is required to provide the Statutory Officers with the necessary resources to enable them to effectively fulfil their duties in accordance with their statutory obligations.
How Decisions Are Made
Decisions can be made by the Full Council and its Committees, the Cabinet, individual Cabinet Members or Officers, depending on the nature and scope of the decision. More information on these bodies and their functions is set out in [Part 2] of this Constitution.
Principles of Decision-making
The Council will make decisions which respect human rights, and which are lawful, proportionate, informed, open, clear, reasonable and relevant. [See Article 10 (Principles of Decision Making)]
Members of the Public and the Council
There are a number of ways the public can engage with the Council’s decision making. These are set out below and in [Article 3 (Citizen’s Rights)].
Our Commitments
There are lots of opportunities for public involvement, enabling members of our community to actively participate in shaping our services and providing feedback. We are committed to:
- Ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
- Offering a range of methods for people to engage with us.
- Being honest with people about what we can and can’t do.
- Listening to different views and opinions in our reports and information.
- Recognising the valuable contribution that local people and communities can play in shaping their future.
- Letting people know about changes or decisions that affect them and keeping their local Councillor up to date.
- Looking after individual privacy and personal data at all times.
- We will make it easy to find information and will respond to all enquiries in a timely, courteous and professional way.
- We will actively encourage a two-way relationship which respects diversity, openness, honesty and constructive communication.
- We expect high standards of conduct from our Councillors, Officers and representatives.
- We expect our Councillors and Officers to be treated with kindness and respect.
Getting Involved
For major plans, policies and projects we will make sure our proposals are clear, written in plain English, communicated widely and in a range of ways and that we give people enough time to comment. We will publicise our major consultations in a single place on our website, called [LetsTalk Wealden.]
For our regular business at Council and Committee meetings we will encourage and welcome interested people to attend and give them reasonable opportunities to speak or ask questions in accordance with this Constitution.
Local people can contribute to our scrutiny arrangements and hold us to account for our decisions by requesting matters to be considered by the Scrutiny and Performance Committee. There is a [scrutiny request form] on our website.
We give at least 28 calendar days’ notice of our [Forward Plan of (Key and Executive) Decisions] (unless we need to act as a matter of urgency).
We welcome and respond to [Petitions] efficiently and in line with our published procedure.
Openness and Transparency
As a democratic public body, the Council exists to serve our residents, businesses and communities. We will actively encourage local people to:
- access Council services and other information via our website in the first instance.
- vote in elections and participate in public life.
- take part in consultations and give us feedback on local services and tell us when we get things wrong.
- play an active part in making their area a better place to live.
Accessibility
Wealden is committed to treating every customer as an individual. There should be no barriers to accessing Council services, facilities, meetings and information. We want local people to feel welcome at our meetings and when they visit our offices or use our website.
We will ensure our website and public buildings are accessible and that there are facilities available for anyone needing additional assistance. [Requests for information in alternative formats] will be accommodated wherever possible.
Accountability
Through our [Council Strategy] and [Values] we want to put public engagement and involvement at the heart of what we do. All Councillors, service departments and Officers will play their part in ensuring the standards set out in this document are achieved.
If we fall short of our commitments, we want to hear about it so that, where possible, we can put things right. The [Complaints, Comments and Compliments] form on our website is there to help deal with issues promptly and by the right person.
Feedback
We welcome all forms of feedback as it helps us to continually improve. There are various ways to do this:
- Make a complaint to the Council and we will investigate and try to resolve things in line with our [Complaints Procedure]
- If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the [Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman] or [Housing Ombudsman] (as appropriate).
- If you consider a Councillor has breached the [Members’ Code of Conduct], we have a process, overseen by the Monitoring Officer, for dealing with such [complaints].
- The [Information Commissioner] offers advice services for members of the public about data protection and information rights.
- You can inspect the Council’s accounts.
- Exercise other relevant legal rights as a specific service user, such as a Council tenant.
We also appreciate your feedback when we get things right, as it encourages us to continue delivering excellent service in line with our [5 Star Customer Service Standards]. Our [Complaints, Comments and Compliments] form is on our website.
Council Decision-Making Structure
The structure of the Council is illustrated in the [Council Decision-Making Structure diagram]
Glossary
A glossary of terms used in this Constitution is provided at Appendix A12.
