• Announcements by the elected Mayor
  The Mayor makes important announcements such as the membership of the Cabinet, appointments of Mayoral Advisers and the Mayor's scheme of delegation.
  
• Committees
  Council decides the size and membership of committees taking decisions on its behalf, such as Development Control and Licensing Committee, the Investment Committee and any other committees it wishes to set up to deal with 'non-executive' decisions. These decisions are ones that the law says the Mayor cannot make. Full Council sets up the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and agrees their size and membership. It also sets up the independent Standards Committee.
  
• Electing the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Council
  The Chair of the Council is also known as the Civic Ambassador. The Chair of Council and Civic Ambassador will, together with the Mayor, carry out the civic and ceremonial duties for the Newham Borough. The Civic Ambassador may not be a member of the Executive, and has a special role as the conscience of the council. For further information, please see the Civic Ambassador page.

Ordinary Council Meetings: The ordinary meetings of Full Council provide an opportunity for all councillors from different political parties to meet together. A small number of specific matters such as agreeing the constitution, awarding the Freedom of the Borough etc. may only be decided by the Full Council.

Full Council will also debate major policy issues brought forward by the Mayor. It is the opportunity for Councillors to question the Executive and receive reports from Scrutiny Commissions. Meetings are controlled through the use of special procedure rules (more commonly known as standing orders). These provide a framework for how meetings will be conducted and spell out the rules that apply for particular types of business such as Members' Question Time and the submission of motions and amendments.

Budgetary and Policy Framework: Full Council must by law agree the council's budgetary and policy framework. The Mayor will make recommendations on these plans to the council, and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will also have a say as part of this process. The council must agree any changes to these policies.

Policy Framework documents include the following plans and strategies:-

• Best Value Performance Plan;
• Children and Young People's Plan;
• Community Strategy;
• Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy (including Drugs Strategy);
• Transport Local Implementation Plan;
• Plans and Alterations which together comprise the Development Plan (including approval for public consultation) including Development Plan Documents prepared in accordance with Section 15 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004;
• Youth Justice Plan;
• Licensing Policy Strategy (required by Licensing Act 2003);
• Licensing Policy Statement under Section 349 of Gambling Act 2005 (new requirement by virtue of 2006 Regulations);
• Gambling Policy (required by Gambling Act 2005);
• Corporate Plan;
• Food Law Enforcement Service Plan;
• Housing Strategy

Budget: The budget includes the allocation of financial resources to different services and projects, proposed contingency funds, the council tax base, setting the council tax and decisions relating to the control of the council's borrowing requirement, the control of its capital expenditure and the amount of freedom.

Members' Questions at Council: Members can ask questions of the Chair of a committee, the Mayor or Scrutiny Chairs at Full Council. This is a chance for all councillors to ask specific questions about the way the Council is working. Please contact John Mattock for further information.