SORRY MOTIONS AGAIN

Question

 When I first started as a Councillor I was faced with dominant Chairmen who worked with a compliant clerk and you got what you were given with the Agenda ie there was no apparent way of getting things discussed if the Chairman didn’t want it .  Then I discovered para 9 of our SOs which appeared to give an independent route to the Agenda but then had to deal with Clerk's power to set the Agenda.  I then read in detail the Governance Toolkit and the  Rules of debate from our SOs and in them it always referred to motions on the agenda.  I then mused that this is not what happens at our meetings ie the agenda consists of list  of  subjects which are discussed and the chair usually comes up with a resolution which is voted on . However, it now  appears to me that para 9 is in fact applicable to all motions not just one offs . In this context SOs usually says something like this

In accordance with standing order 3(b)(iii) above, no motion may be moved at a meeting unless it is included in the agenda and the mover has given written notice of its wording to the Council’s Proper Officer at least seven clear days before the next meeting.

This comes under the heading MOTIONS FOR A MEETING THAT REQUIRE WRITTEN NOTICE TO BE GIVEN TO THE PROPER OFFICER

The question is are there such things as motions that don’t require written notice . I cant see that there can be such a thing other than procedural ones 

 

If I am correct this accords with my view that meetings should be moreso about making decisions and not being talking shops

 

Am  I reading this right as my local CALC and clerk simply don’t reply as I guess they think I am some sort of nutter.

In summary I read it that in order to get a motion on the agenda (and get a resolution passed) the proposer has to do a lot of work beforehand and come up with proposed way forward in the form of a written motion which must in turn be included on the Agenda 

Answer 1

If you're using the model standing orders, there's a list of motions that don't require prior notice, which, as you say, are purely procedural ones. All other motions should be published beforehand, although to be fair to your Clerk, many smaller councils don't follow this strict interpretation of the standing orders. The agenda should make it clear to any member of the public why each item appears and whether the meeting will make decisions or simply receive information. Anything more than the simplest decisions should be backed up by a report or other paperwork setting out the relevant issues and the decisions required. This paperwork should be circulated to councillors and the public at least three days before the meeting.

Comments

Thanks Dave getting there. So as far as I read  it, a motion is a motion and has to be treated in the same way no matter from whatever  source it emanates i.e. para 9 applies to all motions  . This encapsulates the basics of what Councillors do  i.e. make decisions.  We have a fairly new clerk (12 months experience) and when I raised this (via  a motion) her response was  “From my perspective, I am feeling overwhelmed with a new council, a high workload and an annual schedule to follow. So, although it would be great to discuss a long list of submitted motions at each meeting, I am finding it difficult to keep on top of the basics at the moment. Also, quite often the topics you would like to discuss are around the fundamental structure of Parish Councils in which we have limited flexibility. It may be that the Council would like to look at employing additional staff so that we can really dig deep into these issues".  When I raised this with other Councillors and the local County Association I get no response.
I also have other issues re apologies. dispensation and agendas
What can I do when everybody seems to ignore standing orders and simply wants to maintain the status quo. Is the auditor my only route?