Responsible for providing a comprehensive in-house legal service to all departments of the council, covering many areas of the law including civil litigation, criminal prosecution, planning law, housing law, environmental health law and licensing as well as public enquiry work. Her service is also responsible for freedom of information and data protection issues and corporate complaints.
The service supports elected members and ensures that the council's decision-making bodies i.e. full council, cabinet, committees and overview and scrutiny panels run smoothly and operate within a legal framework.
The Head of Legal and Democratic Services is also the council's Monitoring Officer, a statutory role concerned with upholding the high standards of conduct amongst elected members as well as ensuring that decisions of the council are lawful.
Resources Summary
| Number of employees responsible for | Annual Service Expenditure Budget (2013/14) | Annual Service Income Budget (2013/14) |
| 19.37 full time equivalent employees | £1.5 million | £40,790 |