Emergency powers

On 18 March full council agreed urgent new rules to allow the managing director to make emergency* and urgent** decisions when councillors cannot meet.

Under this rule, the managing director must check with at least 4 members of the cabinet, one of whom must be an opposition councillor and one to be the leader or deputy leader of the council before making decisions.

*Emergencies include events covered by our emergency plan as well as unprecedented episodes, such as pandemics.

**Urgency means decisions essential to the council's operation during an emergency.