High Peak Borough Council operates with a Leader and Cabinet system, rather like the Government's Cabinet.
Some decisions can only be taken by the full Council of 43 elected Councillors, which meets five times a year. 
The cabinet style has an Executive, made up of the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council and four other elected Councillors. The Executive meets monthly and takes decisions within the budget and policies agreed by the full Council.
Councillors who are not on the Executive sit on 'Select Committees'. These cover specific areas of the Council's work. The role of the Select Committees is to maintain an overview, to contribute to policy development and to scrutinise the decisions taken by the Executive.
The Select Committees meet quarterly and cover the following areas:
Corporate: Corporate issues, best value, finance, staffing, information systems and information technology, office accommodation, national legislation covering local government.
Regeneration: Economic development, tourism, training, land management, local regional and structural planning, conservation areas, town centres, markets, transport, arts complexes, street trading.
Social Inclusion and Community: Public and private sector housing, homelessness, parks and recreation, sports facilities, the arts, housing and tax benefits, community links, health issues, social inclusion, equal opportunities.
Environmental: Environment, safety, local agenda 21, refuse collection, community safety, highway maintenance, recycling.
A separate Development Control Committee meets every three weeks to determine planning applications and planning enforcement. There is also a Licensing Panel which considers controversial licensing matters like Public Entertainment Licences with objections and Taxi and Private Hire matters.
The Borough Council has a Standards Committee whose job is to make sure all borough, town and parish councillors understand and comply with the behaviour expected of someone in public office. The Committee is made up of four borough councillors, two parish councillors and two completely independent members of the public, one of whom is Chair of the Committee.
