Constitution

Introduction to the constitution

Bristol City Council has 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. Some of these processes are required by the law, while others have been decided by the council.

The constitution is presented here in 9 parts.

• Part 1 - Summary and explanation
• Part 2 - Articles of the constitution
• Part 3 - Responsibility for functions
• • for local choice functions of the Council
  • for executive functions
  • the Leader's delegations
  • terms of reference for committees
  • membership of committees
• Part 4 - Council procedure rules - Procedure rules which govern the way the council operates, covering:
  • Access to information
  • Budget and policy framework
  • Executive rules
  • Overview and scrutiny rules
  • Officer employment rules
  • Committee procedure rules
  • Financial rules
  • Contract rules
• Part 5 - Codes and protocols - Codes of conduct for councillors, council employees and members' relations
• Part 6 - Members' allowance scheme - The allowances councillors receive for their service to the community
• Part 7 - This part of the constitution has been deleted.
• Part 8 - Members names and address - Names and addresses of councillors of our councillors
• Part 9 - Forward plan - Forthcoming decisions to be taken by the council

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