34.Section 11 specifies three possible forms of executive:
	a directly-elected mayor who appoints two or more councillors to the executive (referred to in Part II as a mayor and cabinet executive);
	an executive leader, elected by the full council, plus two or more councillors appointed by the leader or the council (a leader and cabinet executive); or
	a directly-elected mayor, with an officer of the authority appointed by the council as a council manager (a mayor and council manager executive).
35.This section also allows the Secretary of State to specify further forms of executive in regulations, including a form of executive with other members who are directly elected.
36.Section 11 prevents the chair or vice-chair of the authority from being a member of the executive, in order to maintain his/her independence from the executive. It also limits the number of councillors who can be on the executive to ten, although this limit can be lowered by regulations made by the Secretary of State.
37.Section 12 provides that the Secretary of State must have regard to certain matters when making new forms of executive available using the power in section 11, and when making regulations under section 17 with respect to the discharge of functions in those new forms of executive. These matters are:
	any proposals put forward by local authorities;
	the extent to which he considers the operation of executive arrangements involving the new form of executive would be likely to ensure that decisions are taken in an efficient, transparent and accountable way;
	the extent to which the new form of executive differs from the forms of executive available at the time; and
	the number and description of authorities for which he considers the new form of executive would be an appropriate one to consider.
38.This section also provides for councils to put forward proposals for further forms of executive arrangements to the Secretary of State. Such proposals must, in the opinion of the authority, satisfy the following conditions:
	that arrangements involving the proposed new form of executive would be a improvement on the arrangements the authority currently have in place to discharge their functions;
	that the operation of executive arrangements involving the new form of executive would be likely to ensure that decisions are taken in an efficient, transparent and accountable way; and
	that the new form of executive would be appropriate for either all or a particular description of authorities to consider.
39.In addition, such proposals must also include the following information:
	a description of the proposed form of executive;
	a description of the provision which the authority consider should be made under section 17 in respect of the ways in which functions which are the responsibility of the executive should be discharged; and
	an explanation of why the authority considers that the conditions above are met.
Introduction Commentary on sections Sections 11 and 12: Local authority executives