A cabinet of seven members meeting monthly, responsible for providing clear, accountable and transparent leadership for the county council, especially in the preparation of the county council's policies and budget and through the development and monitoring of corporate aims ("Our Role in Dorset"). The cabinet includes the leader of the council. The other six members each have specialist "portfolio" roles for particular services: adult social care and the ageing dorset agenda, children's services, community services, corporate resources, environment, and strategic planning and transportation.

Overview committees have responsibility for:

• reviewing the appropriateness and relevance of current policies and the way they are implemented
• developing new policies for consideration by the cabinet
• monitoring the performance of the county council's services against targets

Small member panels carry out detailed work on behalf of the two overview committees.

An audit and scrutiny committee meets bi-monthly, and is responsible for:

• examining issues which cut across services
• examining financial and audit arrangements
• holding the cabinet or senior managers to account by challenging decisions/performance where it considers there are grounds to do so

The Dorset health scrutiny committee meets four or five times a year. It has seven county council members plus six district council members responsible for:

• scrutinising the provision of health services across Dorset
• the Supporting People programme

There are five regulatory committees which deal with, for example, planning applications, rights of way and school transport appeals.

The standards committee has four members plus five independent members and promotes probity and high standards of conduct throughout the county council.

There is also a staffing committee which has five members.

The county council meets as a full assembly four times a year and is responsible for deciding the county council's budget and all major plans and strategies, such as the Community Strategy for Dorset and the Children and Young People's Plan.

Meetings are normally held during mornings or afternoons at County Hall.