About the Council
In consultation with our residents, Herefordshire Council has defined three key priorities that we are delivering against in line with our County Plan 2020-2024. Our ambitions are:
Environment - Protecting and enhancing our environment to keep Herefordshire a great place to live.
Community - Strengthening communities to ensure everyone lives well and safely together.
Economy - Supporting an economy which builds on the county's strengths and resources.
Herefordshire Council operates a leader and cabinet model of governance. The council's 53 members meet together as full council to set the policy framework, agree the budget and spending plans, set the council tax, elect the Leader of the Council and make constitutional decisions. Decision-making takes place at a wide range of levels across the council. The constitution defines the various roles of officers and members. Broadly:
- Council (all 53 members) approves the constitution, the budget and the main policies and priorities for the council. It delegates much of its day to day decision-making (such as planning and licensing) to a number of committees, or to officers.
- Cabinet (the executive) is responsible for all decisions which the law, or Council, does not require to be taken by others, and agrees policies and actions to implement the budget and policies set by Council.
- Officers take decisions in order to put agreed policies and strategies into effect and to deliver services efficiently.
- Overview and scrutiny scrutinises decisions and advises the cabinet and Council.
Political composition
Herefordshire Council is comprised of 53 councillors. The political composition of the council is:
- Conservatives - 14
- Independents for Herefordshire - 18
- Liberal Democrats - 7
- The Green Party - 7
- True Independents - 6
- Ungrouped - 1
The Cabinet is a coalition executive, made up of the Independents for Herefordshire and The Green Party.
Our Values and Principles
At Herefordshire Council, our PEOPLE values shape our future culture and underpin all of our work:
| PEOPLE: Treating people fairly, with compassion, respect and dignity. |
| EXCELLENCE: Striving for excellence, and the appropriate quality of service, care and life in Herefordshire. |
| OPENNESS: Being open, transparent and accountable. |
| PARTNERSHIP: Working in partnership and with all our diverse communities. |
| LISTENING: Actively listening to, understanding and taking into account people's views and needs. |
| ENVIRONMENT: Protecting and promoting our outstanding natural environment and heritage for the benefit of all. |
As an organisation, we are proud to operate against a set of core defined principles:
- Partnership - We collaborate to maximise our strengths and resources.
- Resilience - We use resources wisely so Herefordshire is fit for future generations.
- Integrity - We make decisions based on evidence and work with respect, openness and accountability.
- Democracy - We strengthen local democracy, decision making and service delivery and involve more young people.
- Engagement - We listen to and learn from our communities and help people connect through culture, creativity and care.
Council Senior Management Structure
