How are councils structured?

Each of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London are divided into wards. Each ward is represented by two or three (and sometimes more) elected councillors. Elections are held every four years - the next one is due in 2010. Unlike the officers who are paid employees of the council, councillors are not paid a salary. Councillors do, however, receive an allowance designed to recompense them for the work which they undertake. Each council (and its residents) choose which one of three possible models it wants to use for its political structure. The three models, set out by the Local Government Act 2000, are:

A leader and cabinet or 'executive'

The leader is elected annually by the council, and the cabinet members are either appointed by the leader or elected by the council. The cabinet can be either single-party or a coalition. The mayoral function in these councils is a ceremonial role.

This is the structure used by 29 of the 32 councils in London.

A directly-elected mayor and cabinet or 'executive'

A mayor is elected by local residents for a four-year term. The elected mayor then selects his or her cabinet from among the councillors. The cabinet members need not all be from the same political party. A directly-elected mayor has much more power than the traditional, largely ceremonial, mayor.

Only three of London's councils currently have this structure namely: Hackney, Lewisham and Newham

A mayor and council manager

The mayor is directly elected for four years to guide and influence the day-to-day work of a professional officer, who plans policy and takes decisions. No council in London has chosen this structure.

Whichever structure is chosen, all councils must have at least one 'overview and scrutiny' committee, made up of councillors who are not cabinet members. Such committees, which have to reflect the political balance of the council, hold the executive to account by examining and questioning decisions made.

In addition, there are certain matters that councils are obliged by law to deal with separately from the executive or directly elected mayor. Issues such as staffing, auditing and licensing are dealt with by quasi-legal committees. These are not listed in this directory but details can be found on councils' own websites.