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 a question she had asked at a previous meeting asking if the annual monitoring report would be more transparent to have them 6 monthly and if the report could include how many questions from the public had been declined at full Council and Cabinet and had also asked if political statements were allowed at meetings by members and how was a right of reply ensured and asked if her questions could be answered now that David Brown, had taken up his position as Director of Governance and Compliance (and Monitoring Officer).

In response the Director of Governance and Compliance stated that the content of the Monitoring Officer’s Annual Report had been agreed by the Committee in March 2019 and therefore any amendments to what was included in the report would be a matter for the Committee to decide in consultation with the Monitoring Officer.  Most of the information was already in the public domain and accessible by the public. In the case of questions being declined the constitution provides very limited circumstance for declining questions. The answering of questions is public in any event. The compilation of data and inclusion of additional information provides for an additional burden for officers and the Committee would need to be assured that officer time collating information primarily in the public domain was a reasonable and proportionate use of officer time. It should also be noted the Council was in transition to the committee system which will result in further changes and the introduction of a revised Constitution.  The Constitution sets out the Procedure Rules and the rules for debate at committee meetings and it was a matter for the chairperson of the individual committee to ensure all Councillors who wished to take part in any debate could do so in accordance with these Rules.