Councillors

Councillors

Key duties of a councillor include representing the views and interests of the ward they are elected to represent and its individual constituents. They will also contribute to the formulation and scrutiny of council policy, budgets, strategies and service delivery. Councillors will also contribute to the decision-making activities of the council and can be appointed as a member of council committees.

Senior councillors

Senior councillors are elected members with significant additional responsibilities, such as Cabinet members or a role such as Leader of the Opposition. Key duties can include providing leadership in relation to policy formulation, implementation and monitoring as well as contributing to the effective governance of the council. They will often provide political direction to senior officers or members of their group in accordance with their area of responsibility, as well as chairing relevant committees and sub-committees. They may also represent the council at appropriate events or engagements.

Council Leader

A key role held by a councillor is that of Council Leader. Their core responsibility is to lead the political administration of the council. This includes providing strategic leadership and political direction to promote the best interests of the council and the communities it serves. They will provide strategic, political and cultural leadership for the council, in partnership with the Chief Executive. Promoting partnership working, representing the council in discussions and negotiations with national bodies and ensuring that political decision-making structures operate effectively are among other responsibilities. They will have an overview of and facilitate corporate and cross cutting policy formulation, strategy development and financial planning.

Provost

The Provost fulfils a unique and important function as the civic head of the authority, representing the council and the wider East Lothian community at ceremonial and formal events, as well as being the formal representative of the council when meeting with visiting dignitaries.  The councillor elected as Provost also holds the role of Convener of the council. The statutory requirement of this role is to chair meetings of the full council. They are required to ensure that the interests of all councillors are represented fairly and that they are given a fair hearing in council meetings. They will ensure the proper conduct of business with regard to the council's standing orders, values and commitment to accountability and effective scrutiny.