The Council is made up of 43 elected Councillors who represent different parts of the Borough, known as 'wards'. The Councillors are there to represent the interests of their community and to protect the interests of the Borough as a whole.
Every four years the Councillors stand for election. Polling stations in each ward are open from 7am to 10pm on polling day, which is held on the first Thursday in May in election years.
You can vote if you are 18 years or over and your name appears on the Register of Electors. The last election was on 3 May 2007.
The voters returned a Council, made up politically as follows:
| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative Party | 24 |  |
| Labour Party | 9 |  |
| Liberal Democrat | 6 |  |
| Independent | 4 |  |