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.

In politics

Notable examples of types of councils encountered in politics include:

• 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 council, 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 council (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
• Tribal council, First Nations' and Native American Nations' governing bodies
• Research Councils UK, 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 (State of Palestine), a local-government body in Palestine
• Workers' council, a council composed of working-class or proletarian members.