Working Groups

Question

Can a parish council set up a working group in between meetings without a resolution at a meeting ?

 That is a meeting of a "finance working group" that  has been reported in the draft minutes but it was not agreed for this group to be set up at any of the previous meeting ? Not an agenda item and no voting as setting it up and no mention of who is on it .

Surely all working groups have to be agreed at a meeting before they meet . Feels like the PC is playing games and setting up these 'group' as and when they feel like it .

Answer 1

I would certainly expect a working group to be set up by a committee or council in a properly constituted meeting and not for it to simply appear out of nowhere!  They should have proper terms of reference and although they can be run informally, they cannot make decisions but can usually make recommendations for consideration.
Working groups are often set up for a specific project so in effect are task and finish groups with a finite life and limited brief.  Used effectively, they can do the "leg work" on a specific project (gathering information for example) but in my opinion lack transparency although their lack of decision making powers limits their role.

Comments

I agree with you . What this particular PC has done is had a 'secret meeting' in between meetings and the retrospectively called it a working party.

I don't have an issue with PC's having informal meetings but be honest about it .
Seems working groups are being used not as task and finish and then closed but rather as a way for PC's to stop the public attending and hearing what is discussed . It's not in the spirit of transparency or democracy .