About the council
Political makeup
The Royal Borough of Kingston-on-Thames is one of the 32 London boroughs with a population of 180,000. The Liberal Democrats are the controlling political administration of the council, occupying 43 of the 48 seats available. The Kingston Independent Residents Group is the largest opposition with three members, with two from the Conservatives
Governance structure
All members and staff have a role to play in delivering good governance. There are four key sections of the governance structure:
The Council
- sets policy and the budgetary framework.
- responsible for the appointment of the Mayor and members of Committees and panels.
- adopts the Members Code of Conduct.
- agrees any changes to the Council Constitution.
Key Committees and panels
- Audit Committee
Responsible for monitoring the performance and effectiveness of our audit arrangements. The Committee signs off the Annual Governance Statement. - Health Overview
Responsible for challenging decisions and making recommendations about health services provided by the Council and other health bodies (including the NHS). - Neighbourhood Committees
A number of Committees covering all wards across the borough. Each Committee has an allocated budget and makes decisions on services provided in the ward. - Standards Committee
Responsible for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct amongst staff and Members. - Strategic Committees
There are three strategic Committees, the People Committee, the Place Committee and the Corporate and Resources Committee. The Kingston Partnership Board provides vision and leadership, guiding us in the delivery of our aims as a Marmot Borough. This board combines Health and Wellbeing statutory responsibilities with a wider strategic approach. - Scrutiny Panel
Chaired by the opposition party, the panel deals with the scrutiny and review of strategic or neighbourhood Committee decisions, including those called in by any 100 members of the community.
Management teams
- Strategic Leadership Team
Provides leadership and strategic direction to staff and develop policies and plans for consideration by members. - Departmental Leadership Team
Made up of leaders and managers from each service: - provide strategic direction.
- develop plans for all aspects of service activities.
- responsible for decisions about service delivery and implementing all related policies, plans, service developments and resource allocations.
Internal Audit and the Corporate Governance team
- Internal Audit
Deliver an independent and objective evaluation on how well internal controls are working to help the Council achieve its objectives. - Corporate Governance team
Organise and support the Annual Governance Statement process by collecting information and evidence of assurance.