Cheltenham Borough Council was established in 1974. It has 40 ward councillors who represent the 20 wards in the borough. All councillors meet together every eight weeks or so as full council, when decisions that affect the overall policy framework and budget are agreed.

The cabinet carries out all local authority functions which are not the responsibility of full council. The cabinet consists of a leader and six deputies. It has to make decisions which are in line with the council’s policy and budget framework. If it wishes to make a decision which is outside the policy or budget framework, this is referred to the council as a whole to decide. The cabinet publishes a forward plan which indicates the key decisions to be taken over the subsequent four months. This is based upon a work programme which is agreed annually and is informed by our priorities.

Those councillors who are not in the cabinet sit on one of the three overview and scrutiny committees - which are chaired by opposition councillors - the planning and licensing committees, and/or the council as a whole. Our scrutiny committees cover the three main aspects of our work: environment, social and community and the economy. They monitor the decisions of the cabinet.

In addition to these arrangements there are five area committees, made up of borough councillors and county councillors representing each area and representatives from any parish council or neighbourhood partnership located in the area covered by the committee. These committees do not have decision-making powers or budgets.

Although only three miles away from the town centre of Cheltenham, Bishop's Cleeve is part of Tewkesbury Borough Council. The electoral ward of Cleeve St. Michael's, Cleeve West and Cleeve Grange cover Bishop's Cleeve, while Cleeve Hill ward covers the village of Southam and Woodmancote.