The district became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, taking over county-level functions from the county council.

[4] The district was granted borough status in 2002, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal.

[5] The whole borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for the area.

It has executive powers for all matters, except those held by the full Council or those reserved to regulatory committees (such as planning and licensing applications).

The Cabinet has a key role in proposing the budget and policy framework to be adopted by the Council.