A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county level, but most legislative bodies at the state or national level are not considered councils. At such levels, there may be no separate executive branch, and the council may effectively represent the entire government. A board of directors might also be denoted as a council. A committee might also be denoted as a council, though a committee is generally a subordinate body composed of members of a larger body, while a council may not be. Because many schools have a student council, the council is the form of governance with which many people are likely to have their first experience as electors or participants.
A member of a council may be referred to as a councillor or councilperson, or by the gender-specific titles of councilman and councilwoman.
Notable examples of types of councils encountered in politics include:
Allegiance Council, also known as the Allegiance Commission or Allegiance Institution is the body responsible for determining future succession to the throne of Saudi Arabia.
Borough council, a form of local government
Catholic Ecumenical Councils, ecclesiastical gatherings for ordering the Catholic Church
City council, a form of local government
Community council, the most local official representative body in Scotland and in Wales
Council of Europe, a political, intergovernmental organization with 47 member countries
Council of the European Union, the upper house of the European Union
Council of State, an organ of government in many states
County council, a council that governs a county in the British Isles
District council, a unit of government in various jurisdictions
Ecumenical Councils, pan-Christian discussion bodies
European Council, the body of heads of states or of governments of the European Union
Labour council, an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area
Municipal council, a form of local government
National Security Council, an executive-branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues
Parish councils in England, a form of local government in part of the United Kingdom
Privy council, a body that advises the head of state of a country
Provincial council, a governing body for a province
Regional council, a local-government body in various countries
Shire Council, an entity of local government in Australia
Shura Council, the formerly upper house of the Egyptian parliament.
Town council, a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or parishes
UK Research Councils, government agencies responsible for an area of research in the United Kingdom
United Nations Security Council, a decision-making body at the United Nations
Vatican Council, a high-level policy-council of the Roman Catholic Church
Village council (Palestinian Authority), a local-government body in Palestine
Workers' council, a council composed of working-class or proletarian members
Types of councils encountered in other spheres include:
Arts council, a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts
Bar council, a professional body that regulates the profession of barristers together with the Inns of Court
Buddhist councils, important historical events in the history of Buddhism
Council (Boy Scouts), a non-profit private corporation within Boy Scouts of America
Ecumenical council, a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice
Student council, a student organization present in many elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities
Synod in a Christian church
University Council running a university
Works council, a body representing the workers of a plant, factory, etc., elected to negotiate with the management about working conditions, wages, etc.
Youth council, an example of youth voice engaged in youth-led decision-making
Military council
