The Town Council consists of two parts, its Members and its Officers. The Town Council cannot function without both of those parts, not legally nor in practice.
The Members, more commonly known as Councillors, are elected on a four-year election cycle. There are a maximum of 14 Councillors, serving three Wards: Redruth North, Redruth Central and Redruth South. There are six Town Councillors for both the North and South Wards, and two in the Central Ward. Their names and contact details are in the
Councillors section of this website. Some Councillors represent the town at more than one level of local government. All Town Councillors are volunteers and receive no basic allowance (they are entitled to one but have voted twice not to accept it), nor do they receive expenses incurred within the town (some expenses are paid for attending functions on Council business away from the town).
The Officers are Council employees and cannot be Councillors of Redruth. The Town Clerk administers the decisions of the Members and has varied duties including Legal Officer (advises Members and officers as to the extent of their powers and duties) and Council Secretary. The Town Council also employs an Engagement Team who work with local residents and community groups in order to promote and renew Redruth as a vibrant place to live, work and visit. In addition there is an Operations Team who manage the day-to-day workings of the Council, ensuring effective delivery of Council administration and financial roles as well as support to Councillors and Committees. A Facilities Team is responsible for the maintenance and improvement of all assets owned, leased and maintained under contract by the Council. These include historic buildings, retail areas, street furniture, playgrounds, parks, open green spaces and footpaths. Finally, seven employees, together with volunteers, run Redruth's Library and Information Service, which was devolved to the Town Council in 2018.
Most Council business is conducted in 'Committee'. There are four committees that meet on a regular basis:
Finance;
Engagement,
Operations and
Staffing. The Members of these committees must be Councillors; members of the public are welcome to attend but cannot 'sit' on the committee.
There are also a number of Working Groups, which are less formal and can include members of the public as Members of the group. Each committee elects a Chair and a Vice-Chair and the proceedings are recorded ("Minuted"). These records are legal documents and must be available to members of the public.
The Full Council usually meets on the last Monday of each month, the exceptions being August (when there is no Council meeting) and December (when the meeting is brought forward to avoid the Christmas holiday period). At these meetings all Councillors attend together. The Council considers reports from the individual committee meetings, and will also discuss any matter which affects the whole Council and/or is not able to be dealt with at Committee. Each meeting includes a public participation period where members of the public can raise issues with the Council. The Chair of the Full Council is the Town Mayor, with the Deputy Town Mayor acting as Vice Chair.