The council is responsible for providing a range of services to the residents, businesses and visitors such as housing, education, social care, waste management, planning, environmental protection, libraries, parks and leisure.

The council's operational structure reflects the above responsibilities and were reported in 2025/26 under six directorates:

The council employed 2,954 people of which the full-time equivalent was 2,756 at 31 March 2026. A breakdown of the make-up of the workforce is detailed below:

Gender

Male 34.1% 34.0%

Female 65.9% 66.0%

Declared Disability

Yes 6% 6.2%

Age

Under 25 2.4% 1.9%

25-39 24.2% 25.5%

40-49 24.8% 24.8%

50-64 42.2% 40.3%

65+ 6.5% 7.5%

Ethnicity

Black and Multi-Ethnic 50.3% 50.4%

White 34.4% 33.4%

Unknown 15.3% 16.2%

2024/25 2025/26

The council has 24 wards and has 70 councillors and is Labour controlled. The election on 7 May 2026 returned a Labour administration with councillors being elected for a term of up to 4 years. The political make-up of the council is 46 Labour, 13 Liberal Democrat, 5 Conservative, 5 Green, 1 Independent.

The Cabinet provides the strategic direction and priorities for the council, as well as making key decisions. Cabinet members are drawn from the membership of the majority political group on the council, which is currently the Labour Party.

The cabinet has ten members each having a specific area of responsibility (known as a portfolio) and is accountable for council decision-making. The portfolios are based around the nine priority areas identified in the council plan 2022-26.