The councillors meet as a full council around every six weeks. A limited number of items of business, such as approving the level of council tax, must be considered by the full council. However, because it would be impractical for all 55 councillors to be consulted on every item of business, the Council delegates authority for making its main decisions in several ways:

The Leader of the Council (who is the leader of the majority political group) and eight executive councillors hold decision-making powers.

The Executive Board, a monthly meeting of the executive councillors, including the Leader of the Council, and one councillor from a minority political group, makes important decisions on policy and financial matters.

Statutory and regulatory committees determine applications for planning permission or certain types of licence, for example.

Area Committees are made up of councillors from clusters of neighbouring electoral wards and consider matters of local interest and concern.