Can a councillor in full-time work request evening or lunchtime meetings?

Question

Many thanks, all answers have been very helpful.

Answer 1

I think by law all full meetings of council should start no earlier than 6pm.

Comments

What about committee meetings? I keep getting notified that one or another committee meeting is scheduled for 10:30 am. I am in full time employment and work at that time. I can just about manage lunchtime on my home working days.

Answer 2

Schedule 12, Part II of the LGA 1972 says:

"7 (3) The annual meeting of a parish council shall be held at such hour as the council may fix or, if no hour is so fixed, 6 o’clock in the evening.

8 (1) A parish council shall in every year hold, in addition to the annual meeting, such other meetings (not less than three) as they may determine.

(2) Those other meetings shall be held at such hour and on such days as the council may determine."

Answer 3

As someone has already said, it is up to the parish council to decide when meetings are held so yes you can certainly ask for meetings, committee or full council, to be held at times which are more convenient.  I do understand that sometimes committee meetings might be scheduled for a daytime if it proves difficult to get a quorum for an evening meeting for example, but given that meetings are/must be open to the public I'd argue that other than the occasional daytime slot, an evening meeting is likely to be more accessible to the public as well as councillors.