The Cabinet

• What is the Cabinet?
• How do the Cabinet make decisions?
• The Forward Plan
• When does the Cabinet meet?
• Deputations
• Further information

What is the Cabinet?

The Cabinet is a group of councillors who take most of the decisions about what the Council does. It is made up of the Leader and nine other councillors chosen by the Full Council. Currently all members of the Cabinet come from the majority group – the Labour party.

Each Cabinet Councillor looks after an individual area of responsibility. They make decisions on how our policies and services are delivered. Read more about the Cabinet members and their portfolios.

The Cabinet provides clearly focused and strategic leadership. Specifically it recommends the budget and key policy proposals to Full Council for agreement. It also develops and implements most policies. It drives forward our Community Strategy and oversees action to deliver the Strategy. Members of the Cabinet also provide leadership within local partnerships. In addition, members of the Cabinet also act as ward representatives in the same way as other councillors.

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How do the Cabinet make decisions?

Following pre report consultation and discussion with leading Members, a draft agenda (The Forward Plan) is circulated as an information item to the Chief Executive’s Management Board and to Cabinet Members. This happens approximately 8 weeks before the meeting to which the agenda relates.

An Agenda Clearance meeting is held 6 weeks before the Cabinet meeting to confirm the agenda and to clear prospective items based on report summaries.

Officers then proceed to finalise the reports by gaining the endorsement of the relevant Cabinet Member.

2 weeks before the Cabinet meeting a Report Clearing meeting takes place where reports (by now in final form) are cleared. The agenda with reports is then published not less than 5 clear days before the date of the Cabinet meeting.

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The Forward Plan

The Forward Plan lists all decisions that the Cabinet will be taking and is published monthly, covering a four-month period. It includes details of how members of the public can make representations on items being considered by the Cabinet. Read more about the Forward Plan.

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When does the Cabinet meet?

See agendas and minutes of Cabinet meetings.

Videos of these meetings (webcasts)

The Cabinet meets approximately every four weeks.

The Cabinet is allowed by law to meet in private, but they cannot take decisions in private. All Cabinet decisions must be taken in public apart from the existing exceptions for things like personnel matters, commercially sensitive information or confidential legal advice

Even where an individual Cabinet member is taking a decision this is in public, including public access to the agenda and papers.

Officers are not able to put decisions into practice until the seven-day 'call-in' period has elapsed (except for decisions taken under emergency procedures).

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Deputations

Members of the public can request the right to address the Cabinet (make a deputation) on an issue on its agenda. If you want to make a deputation you should contact the Cabinet Committees Office, supplying a brief statement setting out what you want to say, by 5pm five clear days before the meeting.

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For further information on the Cabinet contact:

Richard Burbidge
Cabinet Committees Manager

Tel 020 8489 2923
Fax 020 8881 5218
Email cabinet.bodies@haringey.gov.uk

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