Alderstead Council is the local council for Alderstead, a local area in the Steadfast sphere of Havenstead. It provides local democratic government and the public services that have been assigned to the council level.

What Alderstead Council is responsible for

The council's local responsibilities cover democratic services and elections; communities and neighbourhoods; Community Connectors; local wellbeing delivery; community-safety coordination; libraries and archives; museums and heritage; leisure and recreation; volunteering and community organisations; local economy support; local information and integration; local place planning; local infrastructure requirements; resilience; complaints; and the local education-authority functions assigned to Alderstead.

The council does not automatically provide every public service used by people in Alderstead. Operational policing remains with the police. National policy remains with the responsible central department. Strategic functions conferred across Steadfast and Hearth are exercised by the Steadfast & Hearth Combined Sphere Authority. State infrastructure functions allocated to the National Infrastructure Service remain with that service.

How the council is governed

Alderstead Council maintains Full Council, leader-and-cabinet executive arrangements, overview and scrutiny, an Audit and Governance Committee, standards arrangements and a council constitution. Professional administration is led through the Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer and Chief Finance Officer functions, supported by democratic services, legal, finance, audit, procurement, records, complaints, equality, safeguarding governance, resilience and performance functions.

Our relationship with the strategic authority

Alderstead Council is a constituent council of the Steadfast & Hearth Combined Sphere Authority. The combined sphere authority works across the wider strategic area on the functions conferred on it. Alderstead Council continues to exercise the local functions assigned to the council unless a function has been lawfully transferred or conferred elsewhere.