Extraordinay or Extra Ordinary?

Question

The Council were called to a meeting and Agenda posted a required. At the meeting a member of the public asked whether the meeting was an Extraordinary meeting or an Extra Ordinary meeting.

The Clerks response was that it was an Extra Ordinary meeting. My question on this is, if the Clerk believed it was an Extra "Ordinary" meeting does the Clerk sign the Notice? Only because the Notice was actually signed by the Chair. The Agenda does not make it clear, because it states Council Meeting Agenda.

If the Clerk should sign it, does that mean the meeting has been called incorrectly and no decisions stand?

Answer 1

The legislation states that "An extraordinary meeting of a parish council may be called at any time by the chairman of the council." It doesn't elaborate on the issue of who signs the agenda. Conversely, if the chairman fails to call an extraordinary meeting when asked to do so by any two councillors, those two councillors may, after seven days, call an extraordinary meeting and the two councillors sign the agenda for that meeting. To add to the confusion, the fact that the Chairman may call an extraordinary meeting doesn't necessarily prevent the Clerk from doing so.

Comments

It's not the agenda that is the issue. My understanding is the Notice for and ordinary meeting should be signed by the Clerk, not the Chair, I understand an extraordinary meeting should be signed by the chair if they want to call one or multiple councillors if the councillors want one but the chair refuses to call one. It's the confusion on the signatory that causes the issue.

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It sounds as though this was an extraordinary meeting, which can be called by the Chair, who may sign the agenda, and an extraordinary meeting is still a council meeting, so the wording of the agenda is imprecise, not incorrect.