Questions about town and parish councils
Follow Councillor Q&A on X/Twitter

Follow us on X/Twitter

0 votes
We have recently had a couple of extraordinary meetings which were called with only the minimum of detail - for example "to discuss the community hall" -  and where I felt disadvantaged because some Councillors clearly had a lot of information beforehand.

We have just received the latest agenda and again some items are sparse. One is "to pass a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting due to personnel matters", another (in the confidential section) simply states "car parking at Anytown".
Am I wrong to expect more detail to support these items?
by (2.9k points)

1 Answer

0 votes
The agenda should clearly show what the item is being discussed and the planned outcome i.e. "to discuss the car parking situation in Anytown and to agree next steps".  This will allow the members of the public to know what the discussion is about what the council want to see happen.  The information to the subject should be included in the agenda pack that comes out with the agenda.  This pack should be made available to anyone requesting it, including the public, unless there is information that is private and confidential which should be redacted.

I always say to fellow Clerks that the agenda should be clear and understandable from a member of the publics stance and not a councillor to ensure transparency in the councils dealings.
by (24.0k points)
Mallb34r and Mrs Abster I'm just jumping in on this thread si apologies. How should "matters arising from previous meetings" be shown?
Not sure what you mean?  is this an agenda item to provide an update on issues that were raised at the last meeting in order to see what progress has been made?  They wouldn't be itemised on the agenda as this is just an information sharing item.  However, it if was an ongoing project, then it should have its own agenda item with an update provided...
The term "matters arising" is just too vague for a decision to be taken if needed.  Agree with MrsAbster that if a further decision is needed, it should be a separate agenda item.  If it is just a report on progress, it can be a separate "for information" item or in some cases the Clerk provides a report on outstanding items (often termed "Clerk's Report") to provide an update.
To go back to the original question, the resolution to exclude the press and public implies the next agenda item (or items) are to be heard in confidential session in which case the agenda item might be a little vague (e.g. the term staffing matters might be used to imply a personnel related issue) but supporting confidential papers for councillors only might be more specific about the nature of the item to be discussed.
Thank you ladies

Welcome to Town & Parish Councillor Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community. All genuine questions and answers are welcome. Follow us on Twitter to see the latest questions as they are asked - click on the image button above or follow @TownCouncilQA. Posts from new members may be delayed as we are unfortunately obliged to check each one for spam. Spammers will be blacklisted.

You may find the following links useful:

We have a privacy policy and a cookie policy.

Clares Cushions logo Peacock cushion

Clare's Cushions creates beautiful hand made cushions and home accessories from gorgeous comtemporary fabrics. We have a fantastic selection of prints including Sophie Allport and Orla Kiely designs and most covers can be ordered either alone or with a cushion inner. Buying new cushions is an affordable and effective way to update your home interior, they're also a great gift idea. Visit our site now

2,894 questions
5,615 answers
7,948 comments
10,028 users
Google Analytics Alternative