Newcastle City Council is the local authority for Newcastle upon Tyne. It is responsible for public services in the city.

These includes statutory services (services that have to be provided by law) like children’s safeguarding, social care services, waste collection, road maintenance, library services and public health.

Councils also have statutory responsibilities for children’s education: it’s their job to ensure there is high quality early education and childcare available and that there are enough school places; ensuring fair school admissions are fair; and that there home-to-school transport for some children and young people, e.g. children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

Councils can choose to provide other services like economic development or events.

Councils are also responsible for dealing with planning and licensing applications.

The council receives money from a variety of sources, including government grants, Council Tax, business rates and income from fees and charges.

Some of this money must be spent for specific purposes, like schools, housing benefit or council housing. The council can decide how to best use the rest of the money.

• Revenue expenditure – money used to deliver day to day services
• Capital expenditure – money used for buying, updating or improving physical assets like buildings or roads

There are 78 councillors in Newcastle and they usually meet 8 times a year for City Council. The City Council has to agree the Council’s annual budget but the Cabinet makes most of the decisions.

Cabinet includes the:

• leader of the council
• deputy leader
• eight councillors appointed by the leader as cabinet members.

Decisions are either made by:

• Cabinet
• a committee of the Cabinet
• individual Cabinet members
• officers under powers delegated by Cabinet