Councillors participate in the work of the council in a variety of ways to help residents with problems involving the work of the council.
Councillors must agree to follow a code of conduct to ensure high standards in the way they undertake their duties. The code of conduct can be found in the Constitution.
Find your councillor
Cabinet
The Cabinet (or executive) is made up of the leader and 8 other councillors from the majority party, currently Conservative. Each cabinet member has an individual area of responsibility also known as his or her portfolio.
The Cabinet meets monthly and provides overall direction and sets the policy framework for services to work within. Cabinet members have delegated powers to make specific decisions. Details of these are available on the decisions page.
View current Cabinet portfolios.
Allowances
Councillors are paid a basic allowance, and some have special responsibility allowances for different roles that they take on.
Declaration of Interests and Register of Gifts and Hospitality
All councillors are required by law to complete a declaration of interests form to register their financial and other interests that could potentially conflict with their role as councillor. Councillors' register of interest forms can be viewed on the councillors pages.
They are also required to declare any interests at the start of any council meeting where the interest conflicts with some or all the business to be discussed at that meeting.
They may not take part in the discussion of or vote on those items in which they have a prejudicial interest.
All councillors are also required to declare any gifts or hospitality.
Committee calendar
The committee calendar will provide you with information on the forthcoming meetings.
Meetings
Each municipal year starts with the Annual Meeting, which is usually held in May. Copies of agendas are available on the council website at least 5 working days before each meeting.
Browse agenda, reports and minutes.
Full Council
The council meeting comprises 64 councillors. All councillors meet as county council approximately 6 times per year. Meetings of council:
- are normally open to the public
- debate key issues facing Derbyshire
- decide overall policies and budget
- appoint the Leader of the Council and members of committees and outside bodies
- discuss issues raised by councillors. These are called Notice of Motion. Rules relating to these are set out in the Constitution. The full text of a Notice of Motion is available by accessing the relevant council agenda
- receive member and public questions. Questions and written replies are available by accessing the relevant council agenda
Petitions and e-petitions
A petition is a quick and easy way to bring issues to the attention of councillors and officers. You can send a paper petition, an on-line e-petition or use a link to set up an e-petition via our website.
Browse further information on petitions and e-petitions.
Committees
Separate committees have been set up to either make decisions or make recommendations to Full Council. These committees are known as non-executive committees:
Other external committees, panels and boards
A number of other committees, boards and panels have been established to carry out specific functions:
- D2 Joint Committee for Economic Prosperity - a joint committee with district and borough councils to oversee the economic growth agenda in Derbyshire
- D2N2 Investment Board - the county council provides meeting administration and support to the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership. More information is available on the D2N2 website
- D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Board - the county council provides meeting administration and support to the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership
- Derbyshire Police and Crime Panel - the county council hosts the Derbyshire Police and Crime Panel which is the statutory body established to consider the strategic actions and decisions of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Derby and Derbyshire
- Health and Wellbeing Board - this joint committee focuses on prevention and the wider determinants of health. The work of the Board aims to reduce health inequalities and improve health and wellbeing across all stages of life by working in partnership with the community
- Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education - responsible for the locally agreed syllabus of religious education and for overseeing the provision of collective worship in maintained schools within the county
Improvement and scrutiny committees
Five politically balanced scrutiny committees operate in Derbyshire.
Improvement and scrutiny committees aim to improve the services by monitoring the work of the county council and its local partners including local health services and making recommendations to improve the services that are provided.
The improvement and scrutiny committees also look at issues affecting the wider community in order to fulfil the council’s power to promote community wellbeing.
The committees are: