The Jewish Leadership Council is to change its structure in order to give it greater legitimacy within the Jewish community.

Members appointed in a personal capacity, such as Lord Woolf and Sir Victor Blank, will no longer have a vote at the council but serve instead in an advisory capacity, as vice-presidents.

Instead, voting rights are to be restricted to leaders of the 16 Jewish organisations currently represented on the council.

The change in set-up has also renewed questions about the role of the council, which was set up in 2003 to increase liaison between major organisations, influence the setting of communal priorities and improve the political and other representation of Jewish interests to the outside world.

Henry Grunwald, who was its founding chairman and remains as a personal member, said: "There is a feeling on the JLC that there should be discussions about which areas of communal activity should be its focus."

According to other JLC sources, some members believe it should concentrate on domestic services such as welfare and education, while others are keen to ensure that Israel-related issues remain a key aspect of its work.