Concluding comments
The Officer/Member protocol is not intended to deal with every situation that might arise. It does contain, however, a significant amount of material which can act as a pointer to how to deal with a wide range of issues. For example, it is clear in the sections covering the role of Elected Members and the role of Officers that strategic decision-making is undertaken by Elected Members and not Officers. On the other hand, day to day choices on the action necessary to implement Member decisions are the responsibility of Officers not Elected Members. This is made very clear in statutory guidance to Councils. In Hartlepool, Officer/Member relations have traditionally been very strong and constructive, based on mutual respect for the different roles of each, together with a recognition of the need to work together for the good of the community. It is the joint responsibility of both Officers and Elected Members to maintain that tradition into the future.