Most decisions are made by councillors but many are made by senior officers to keep services running day to day.

Who can do what is set out in the council's constitution, which shows the structure and workings of the council in detail.

Councillors and officers are bound by a code of conduct. This ensures that they act fairly and properly in any decisions they take as elected representatives of their communities. Sometimes they choose not to vote on or take part in certain decisions if they have a direct interest in the issue.

Decisions made by senior officers are recorded in an Officer Decision Log. Decisions made by a committee are recorded in the minutes of the meetings.