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The Council Constitution

The Oldham Council constitution 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 to local people. Some of these processes are required by the law, while others are a matter for the Council to choose.

The Constitution is divided into 16 articles which set out the basic rules governing the Council's business. More detailed procedures and codes of practice are provided in separate rules and protocols included with the constitution.

What’s in the Constitution?

Article 1 of the Constitution explains the purpose of the Constitution. Articles 2 – 16 explain the rights of citizens and how the key parts of the Council operate. These are:

Members of the Council (Article 2);
Citizens and the Council (Article 3);
The Council meeting (Article 4);
Chairing the Council (Article 5);
Overview and scrutiny of decisions (Article 6);
The Executive (Article 7);
Regulatory and other Committees (Article 8);
The Standards Committee (Article 9);
Area committees (Article 10);
Joint arrangements (Article 11);
Officers (Article 12);
Decision making (Article 13);
Finance, contracts and legal matters (Article 14);
Review and revision of the Constitution (Article 15); and
Suspension, interpretation and publication of the Constitution (Article 16).

You can download the Oldham Council constitution in Adobe PDF format:

Contents

Part 1: Summary and Description (37Kb)
Part 2: Articles of the Constitution (203Kb)
Part 3: Responsibility for Functions (57Kb)
Part 4: Rules of Procedure (333Kb)
Part 5: Codes and Protocols (335Kb)
Part 6: Members' Allowance Scheme (20Kb)
Part 7: Management Structure (14Kb)

Appendices

Appendix 1: Public Access to Information (16Kb)
Appendix 2: Complaints Procedure (89Kb)
Appendix 3: Dispute Resolution Procedure (7Kb)
Appendix 4: Terms of Reference (56Kb)
Appendix 5: Planning Committee (39Kb)
Appendix 6: Scheme of Delegation (159Kb)
Cabinet Portfolio Holders (48Kb)