Full Council elects the Chairman of the Council in May each
year. They are, in general, a member of the majority party. They
provide a civic and ceremonial leadership of the Council by
attending civic or ceremonial functions on behalf of the Council.
They chair and manage the
meetings of the full Council and ensure that
the Council's Constitution is upheld.
Once elected, the Chairman rises above party politics in chairing
meetings of the Council and acting as the Council's representative
at about 200 formal and less formal public engagements a year. The
Chairman of the Council wears a chain of office when carrying out
most duties, but unlike a Mayor does not have any formal robes.
The Chairman of the Council is
Councillor Joan Sennington.
Vice-Chairman of the Council
Full Council also elects the Vice-Chairman of the Council in May
each year and, again, they are, in general, a member of the
majority party. They take on a full deputising role in the absence
of the Chairman of the Council as well as sharing and supporting
the workload.
The Vice-Chairman of the Council is
Councillor Richard
Kerry.