East Hampshire District Council is made up of 43 councillors elected every four years. Councillors are democratically accountable to the residents of their ward.
The overriding duty of councillors is to the whole community, but they have a special duty to their constituents, including those who did not vote for them.
All councillors meet together for full council meetings six times a year. These are held in public, and are used to decide the council's overall policies and set the budget each year.
Leader and cabinet model
EHDC runs on a 'leader and cabinet' model. This works in the same way as the Prime Minister and cabinet but on a local scale.
The council elects one of its members as Leader at its annual meeting. The Leader has responsibility for appointing the Cabinet, including the Deputy Leader.
This model was adopted in East Hampshire after the Local Government Act 2000. Following consultation with local people, 84% of respondents felt EHDC should introduce a leader and cabinet model, and it was adopted in June 2001.