The council is made up of and run by a combination of elected councillors (also known as members) and permanent staff (also known as officers). There are 40 elected members of the council representing the borough, who are responsible for agreeing policies about the provision of services and how the council’s money is spent.

The officers employed by the council are responsible for the day-to-day management and running of the council’s functions. 

Councillors are democratically elected every four years to represent the 16 wards that make up the borough. A ward is an area set up for administrative and political purposes containing a set amount of the electorate. Depending on size, wards are represented by two or three councillors.

See the details of the councillors, the committees on which they serve and outside bodies on which they represent the council.

• See "How we make decisions" for details about Councillors' responsibilities
• Members' allowances
• Members' interests