The role of the Audit Committee is concerned with increasing public confidence in the objectivity and fairness of financial reporting and assurance. Audit committees are deemed to be essential to good governance.

The Cabinet is the body that takes most of the decisions relating to the running of services provided by Northamptonshire County Council, within the policies (for example the Council budget) that have been agreed by Full Council.

Some executive decisions can be taken by individual members of the Cabinet.

Cabinet Member Decisions relating to the Empowering Councillors and Communities Scheme

The most important decisions can only be made by the full council (all 73 councillors meeting together) which meets six times a year, in public, at County Hall, Northampton. This includes setting the council's budget and council tax level each year and agreeing the important policies that make up key plans that all councils have to have each year. Meetings are chaired by the chairman of the county council, who also has the important role of representing the council at a wide range of events and meetings throughout the year.

The County Council makes decisions on certain types of planning proposals only. These are for minerals related development (e.g. quarries), waste related development (e.g. recycling facilities) and development for and by the County Council (e.g. libraries, county council schools, new roads).

The Joint Planning Committee was established in July 2005 as the formal decision making body for the North Northamptoshire Joint Planning Unit. The Joint Planning Committee is the first such committee established under new planning legislation and is made up of 3 elected members from each planning authority (Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Northamptonshire). It is responsible for agreeing the Joint Core Spatial Strategy and joint other planning policy work, but has no development control powers, which remain with the individual district/borough councils.

The Pensions fund Board is a Committee of Council with responsibility for ensuring the pension fund managed by the Council complies with all relevant legislation governing the administration of the fund, ensuring appropriate arrangements for the administration of benefits in place and reviewing investment strategies for the fund.

The Investment Sub-Committee is a sub-committee of the Pensions Fund Board. It is responsible for making investments for the benefit of the Local Government Pension Fund and in line with the strategy agreed by the Pensions Fund Board.

The Personnel Committee is responsible for staff issues providing a strategic overview of people management issues within the Council. It is responsible for Chief Officer discipline and redundancy appeals as well as the appointment of the Head of Paid Service and Chief Officers.

The Standards Committee's role is to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives.