Meetings of the District Council and its Committees explanatory notes for members of the public and press
Which meetings are open to the public?
Every meeting of the Council and its
Committees is open to the press and public. However, a meeting may
move into private session if "exempt" information would be
disclosed. "Exempt information is defined in the Local Government
(Access to Information) Act 1985. Examples of "exempt" information
include information relating to:-
a particular recipient of a service
provided by the Council; the financial or business affairs of a
particular person other than the Council; the amount of expenditure
proposed to be incurred by the Council under any particular
contract.
The Act also sets out arrangements
for dealing with "confidential" information. However, items of
business containing "confidential" information are extremely
rare.
For the convenience of the public,
items of business containing "exempt" information are usually
considered last at the meeting. Any member of the public and press
still present will be asked to leave before the meeting moves into
private session.
Have your say
Public Speaking and Question Time
The Council provides opportunity for
members of the public to make speeches or ask questions at every
Council and Committee (with the exception of the Standards
Committee and Appeals Committee). Accordingly "Public Speaking and
Question Time" appears as an early item of business on relevant
agenda.
What Do I
Do?
- Identify the appropriate Committee as you must address the correct meeting.
- Questions must include the name and address of the questioner and contact details.
- If you are unable to attend the meeting, your question/statement will be circulated to the Committee but will not be read out.
What are the Rules for
Speaking?
The rules for speakers
are:-
- The Chairman will invite you to stand/sit in location where you can be clearly heard.
- Speakers will be taken in the order in which their written notices were received.
- You can speak for a maximum of 3 minutes per meeting.
- Supplementary questions will only be allowed for the purpose of clarifying an answer to your earlier question.
- You must not interrupt speakers or speak during the Committee's debate.
Who Will Respond?
- If you ask a question, the Chairman will respond or ask an Officer to respond. If a written response has been circulated at the meeting, it will not usually be read out.
- If you make a speech, the Chairman may ask an Officer to comment on what you have said.
Are There any Time Limits at the
Meeting?
- The total time allowed for statements, questions and responses will not usually exceed 30 minutes. Questions not answered within the time allowed will be the subject of a written answer sent within 5 working days of the meeting.
- Each speaker can speak for a maximum of 3 minutes per meeting.
Speeches/questions must be delivered
in writing or by fax or electronic mail to the Head of Democratic
Services at Swale House so that he receives them by no later than
9.30 am on the day of the meeting; please contact us for
arrangements in relation to meetings that do not commence at 6.30
pm. Please use the proforma at the end of this leaflet. If you are
seeking a detailed answer, please endeavour to give more notice of
your question prior to the meeting.
Exclusions
- No questions/statements can be accepted which relate to employee matters properly falling within the province of the Joint Consultative Committee or situations where there is a statutory procedure in place for public consultation.
- Questions will be rejected if it is not a Council matter, is defamatory, frivolous or offensive, or
- Names and individual Member or Officer and in the opinion of the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Chairman of the meeting constitutes a personal attack on the individual concerned.
"Exempt" and "Confidential"
Information
Whilst questions maybe asked on
matters dealt with in private session no "exempt" or "confidential"
information (as defined in the Local Government (Access to
information) Act 1985) can be disclosed when responding to such
questions
Your Rights
In addition to attending the public
session of meetings, you are also entitled to:-
- inspect the agenda and reports taken in public session. These are usually available five clear days before the meeting for a period of six years from the meeting;
- inspect, as soon as reasonably practicable, after the meeting, a public written summary of any proceedings held in private. This shall be available for a period of six years from the meeting;
- inspect any papers listed as "background documents" at the bottom of a report open for public inspection. These are usually available five clear days before the meeting for a period of four years from the meeting;
- be supplied with photocopies of the above documents. (A small fee may be charged to cover administration costs);
- inspect lists of names and addresses of District Councillors and their electoral wards, memberships of Committees, powers delegated to officers and the schedule of meeting
If you would like further
information, please contact
Michael Dowson, Head of Democratic
Services at
Swale House, Frenchgate, Richmond
DL10 4JE
Tel: (01748) 829100 (Ext 7088)
Fax: (01748) 825071
You may wish to contact your
District Councillor(s) about your concerns. If you do, your right
to speak at meetings is not affected.
Enter author notes
Print page
Last updated:
07 March 2008
