Issue - meetings

In accordance with paragraph 2.32 of the Committee Procedural Rules and Appendix 7 to the Rules a total period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the Committee on any matter relevant 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 wishing to ask a question or make a statement 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.

Sue Helliwell referred to the annual monitoring report and stated that would it be more transparent to have them 6 monthly and that the report should include how many questions from residents and Councillors have been declined at Full Council/Cabinet, along with the reasons for them being declined, and also asked if political statements were allowed at meetings by members and if so to ensure that a right to a reply is allowed by members.   She stated that the minutes from the previous meeting were incorrect as she has been informed that the money was a loan and that this should be in the minutes.

The acting Head of Legal responded that it was a matter for the Committee to decide what it wanted to see in the Annual Monitoring Officer’s report.  The Committee had considered this in March 2019 and decided upon the content and subsequent reports have been prepared on that basis.  It would be for the Committee to make any amendments in consultation with the Monitoring Officer.  The acting Head of Legal said that this was something that could be raised with the new Monitoring Officer, who will be joining the authority next month, and perhaps a more substantive reply on this point, in relation to  the Annual Monitoring Officer’s report, can be brought to the next meeting.