Council Structure
The Town Council has twelve elected members who give their time voluntarily for the benefit of Shaftesbury and its residents. The Council elects one of its members to be Town Mayor in May of each year, electing a Deputy Mayor at the same time. The Mayor presides over all Town Council meetings.
Membership– The Town Council meetings are attended by all members of the Town Council and are presided over by the Mayor and, in their absence, the Deputy Mayor. There are seven Full Council meetings scheduled each year, together with one Annual Meeting which takes place in May.
Responsibilities – The Town Council meetings approve and adopt the minutes of Town Council and Committee meetings, receive reports on the Mayor’s engagements and correspondence and receive reports from Dorset Councillors and local organisations. The meetings also deal with contractual, financial, legal and policy matters that Committees do not have the remit to resolve.
The Town Council has four Committees, meeting on a cyclical basis. Dates for meetings of the Council’s Committees can be found on our Meetings page.