Issue - meetings

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relating to the work of the body in question.  Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman or person presiding will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.

Liz Braithwaite asked whether in the event of each ward being given the option of voting for a Town or Parish Council would the option also be given for each to have an individual Service Delivery Committee.   The Chairman responded that he felt such an option would be unworkable.

Councillor Janet Jackson interceded at this stage and asked for it to be recorded that she was most dissatisfied at the way in which the direction of the community review in Macclesfield was being pushed by some Members of the Sub-Committee and by the leading political group.  She stated she was the only Macclesfield Councillor on the Committee, and, despite being best placed to know and understand the views of the community, she considered she was being consistently ignored.  The Chairman responded that the decision would be made by taking account of the public consultation and other key factors and, ultimately, by the Constitution Committee and full Council.

Richard Watson commented on the voting paper tabled prior to the meeting and suggested that Q1b should be amended to say ‘I want a parish/town council’; this was suggested in the light of the previous experience in Crewe when it became apparent that people did not realise that a town council was a form of parish council. The Chairman responded that initially it was in fact necessary to form a parish council and only then could it vote for itself to be known as a town council.