Decision making
This page lists the steps and processes followed explaining how decisions are made for North East Lincolnshire Council.
How decisions are made
The ultimate decision-making body for North East Lincolnshire Council business is the full Council which is made up of all 42 elected Councillors. Key decisions which are those with a significant impact are made by the Council’s Cabinet.
Decisions on the setting of the Council’s budget and adoption of key strategies (as contained within the Council’s ‘policy framework’) are taken by the full Council. However, if it is not practical for Full Council to meet to determine every single decision that needs to be made, so the Council has scheme of delegation of decision-making.
Full Council meets every eight weeks at either Grimsby or Cleethorpes Town Hall.
Officer decisions
Details of decisions taken by Officers of the Council which must be published in accordance with legislation.
Under the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, a written statement of officer decisions made in connection with the discharge of executive functions must be published as soon as reasonably practicable after they are made.
This statement must include, in respect of every decision:
In the case of “key decisions” (as defined in those regulations) taken on the grounds of urgency, the agreement of the Chairman of the relevant Scrutiny Panel has been obtained that the making of the decision is urgent and cannot be deferred.
Associated documents relating to any executive decisions which contain “exempt information” as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), cannot be made available for public inspection and are therefore not published on the website in accordance with Regulation 20(3) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.
Details of decisions taken by officers to grant licences are published below, as required under the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014.
Officer decision records
Parts of these older documents and reports produced by third parties may be inaccessible. If you would like an alternative version providing then you can request this by email at [email protected]
Regulatory and other Committees and Boards
Cabinet
Key decisions which are those with a significant impact are made by the Council’s Cabinet. The Cabinet is made up of between three and ten Elected Members appointed by the Leader of the Council.
Each cabinet member has responsibility and individual decision making powers for a ‘portfolio’ of particular services.
Find details of Cabinet meetings including the schedule, agenda, papers and minutes of meetings on our Cabinet meetings
Scrutiny
There is a process of overview and scrutiny to make sure that Councillors are fully accountable for their decisions. This process allows elected members who are not on Cabinet to act as a check and balance to the Council’s decision makers and to contribute to the development of future policies and strategies that will help improve services for local people.
The role of elected members in overview and scrutiny is to:
Scrutiny is carried out using a number of methods, such as panel meetings, working groups and select committees, but in all cases the process is non-political and members from all groups participate.
Scrutiny panels
The five scrutiny panels are:
Details of meetings and papers for these panels can be viewed on our democracy website. Each scrutiny panel is responsible for their respective area of interest.
In addition there is an Overview and Scrutiny Committee which is responsible for providing the strategic direction and management of the scrutiny function at North East Lincolnshire Council.
Scrutiny work programme
Each year the scrutiny panels agree a schedule of work for the year ahead, leaving enough flexibility to look at specific issues raised by Councillors, the decisions of the Cabinet and representations made by the public.
The scrutiny panels decide which areas to examine after giving consideration to:
To review the issues identified, select committees or smaller working groups are often set up to carry out more in-depth investigations and to make recommendations based on their findings.
Get involved
As a member of the public you are:
Annual reports
At the end of each municipal year a scrutiny annual report is produced and submitted to the Council Annual General Meeting.
The report looks back at the work carried out during the year and outlines the work programme for the forthcoming year. The annual reports can be viewed below:
Select committees
Where an issue has been identified which requires an in-depth review, the scrutiny panel may decide to form a select committee to investigate the issue.
Select committees are held in public, usually over a few days. There are agreed criteria to evaluate if a select committee is appropriate, and each piece of work is scoped to clearly identify the anticipated value of the review.
Select committees are made up of a politically balanced group of members, drawn from the panel whose remit the issue falls under. If the issue is cross-cutting across two or more panel’s remit, members may form a joint committee.
Reports from the most recent select committees can be accessed by clicking on the title below:
The Constitution
We are required by law to produce, maintain and publicise a Constitution which explains how we, as a Council, operate and make decisions affecting the people and places of North East Lincolnshire.
We are required by law to produce, maintain and publicise a Constitution which explains how we, as a Council, operate and make decisions affecting the people and places of North East Lincolnshire.
It is a large document, intended to give the reader a clear understanding of our internal mechanisms for decision making at Elected Member and officer levels. It also explains how we regulate behaviour and relationships expected of those both within the Council and who have dealings with it.
The Constitution is divided into 3 parts:
Local byelaws
Byelaws are laws which are made by a local authority and only apply within a specific geographical area. On this page we have published byelaws for North East Lincolnshire.
You can find out more about local byelaws on GOV.UK – Local government legislation byelaws.
Forward plan of key decisions
The Council produces a forward plan detailing “key decisions” which are to be taken by the cabinet or portfolio holders.
We have a requirement to give at least 28 clear days notice before a key decision is to be taken.
There is a further requirement to give 28 clear days notice of the intention to hold a meeting of cabinet / portfolio holder in private (either exclusively or in part).
Matters to be considered in private are clearly marked on the forward plan, together with the reason that each item is to be considered in private.
Representations as to why any of these items should be open to the public should be made to Democratic Services, North East Lincolnshire Council, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU or by email to [email protected].
The response of cabinet or the relevant portfolio holder to any such representations will be published within the agenda for that meeting.
Key decisions are usually those which are likely to result in significant expenditure or savings or are likely to have significant effects on those living or working in an area comprising two or more wards.
The forward plan includes the date on which the decision is due to be taken, who is going to be consulted, and how representations can be made. We publish the forward plan at the beginning of each month.
Copies of any document listed in the forward plan or subsequently submitted, except those which contain exempt, personal or confidential information, can be obtained by contacting the Democratic Services Team.
Download the Forward Plan (PDF, 645KB) – April 2026 – July 2026
Emergency officer decisions
The COVID-19 pandemic created circumstances that may warrant exercise of powers and decision making outside usual parameters. Section 138 of the Local Government Act 1972 permits that where such circumstances exist, so as to affect the whole or part of their area or all or some of its inhabitants, a Council may:
Constitutionally where there is an urgent need or where there is a recess in meetings, the Chief Executive and all Directors shall be empowered on behalf of and in the name of the Council to deal with matters of urgency or routine business normally requiring a Cabinet or Committee decision which may arise between the meetings of Cabinet / Committees or during any period when the Cabinet / Committees are in recess; provided that
The Chief Executive has directed that all decisions made in the above circumstances shall be in consultation with the Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources (where available).