Find out about Councillors and decision making

All 40 councillors are elected together once every 4 years. The last elections were held in May 2019 and councillors will now serve until May 2023.

All members receive a basic Members’ Allowance and others (such as Committee chairs and Cabinet members) receive an additional allowance in recognition of their added responsibilities.

The duty of councillors is to the whole community, but they have a special duty to their constituents, including those who did not vote for them.

In May of each year, a new Council Chairman and Vice Chairman are appointed.  

Code of Conduct for Councillors

Councillors have to agree to follow a Members Code of Conduct to make sure they follow the appropriate standards in the way they carry out their duties.

The Standards Committee trains and advises them on the code of conduct. If you are unhappy with a Councillor’s behaviour, you can make a complaint.

Council meetings

All councillors meet together as the Council. Meetings of the Council are open to the public, except in certain circumstances, and we pride ourselves on our openness. Here councillors decide the Council's overall policies and set the budget each year.

The Council elects the Leader of the Council, other members of the Cabinet; the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (responsible for holding the Cabinet publicly accountable), the Development Committee, the Licensing, the Standards Committee and the Audit Committee.

For further information about the Full Council, such as members, meeting dates, agendas and minutes. visit our Full Council page.

The Cabinet is made up of the Leader elected by the Council, the Deputy Leader and up to eight others.

Major decisions (known as 'Key Decisions') must be published in the Cabinet Work Programme so you are aware of them in advance.

Cabinet must make decisions in line with the Council's overall policies and budget. If it wishes to make a decision which is outside the budget or policy framework, this must be referred to the Council as a whole to decide.

For more information about the Cabinet, such as members, meeting dates, agendas and minutes, please visit the Cabinet Membership and Portfolios page.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The main role of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is to make sure that robust and efficient arrangements for the delivery of the overview and scrutiny function in North Norfolk exist.

The main activities are reviewing and scrutinising decisions taken by the Cabinet, and undertaking scrutiny investigations. This may include making reports and/or recommendations to the Council, Cabinet or any other committee.

For more information about the Scrutiny Committee, such as members, meeting dates, agendas and minutes, please visit the Overview and Scrutiny page.

Other committees

The following committees carry out those functions which cannot be carried out by the Cabinet:

• Licensing and Appeals Committee and sub-committees - responsible for policy issues regarding licensing
• Development Committee - planning related decisions
• Standards Committee - ensures that Councillors maintain a high standard of conduct
• Audit Committee - financial assurance and control

For more information about these Committees, such as members, meeting dates, agendas and minutes, please visit the Committees page.

North Norfolk District Council has agreed a Constitution which 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.

There is an expectation and requirement that Council Members and staff will lead by example in these matters and that all individuals and organisations associated with the Council will act with integrity.

Members and staff are bound by protocols and codes of conduct that are designed to uphold standards of conduct and probity. These protocols cover a wide range of issues including personal conduct, financial and other interests.

If you have a concern about improper conduct at the Council or by one of the Council's contractors you can report those concerns in confidence to the Monitoring Officer on 01263 516045 or the Audit Manager on 01263 516050.