Is a decision made at full council final, or can councillors then try to pause the project?

Question

A meeting was held regarding works to be carried out, the work was proposed, seconded and then voted in favour by all in attendance.

The budget was agreed, the specification drawn up and issued to contractors, prices received, reviewed and contractor recommended. report presented to council and agreed. Outside of the meeting a small number of councillors have met and decided they want more information and are now refusing to approve an initial payment to get the contract started.

Answer 1

If it is only a small number of councillors that are refusing to approve the payment then you do not have a problem. The majority will approve the payment. Unless you actually mean that a majority of councillors are refusing to approve.

Full council can  make whatever decisions they like (as long as they are lawful) however illogical they may seem.

Answer 2

A decision validly made is binding.  It is only possible to change a decision within six months of that decision being made if the procedure for a rescission of a resolution (see your standing orders) is followed.  In the scenario you have described, I'd suggest you have a valid contract and withholding payment would be a breach of that contract potentially incurring penalties for doing so.  Having second thoughts is not a valid reason for overturning a contract/decision.  Concerns should have been raised at the meeting at which the decision was taken.

Comments

Many thanks for this, which is what I thought.  Concerns were not raised at the meeting, however some councillors met outside of the meeting to scrutinise the documents and come up with further questions, which are now being used to hold up the project.  The payment to start the project has been rejected by 2 of those councillors on the basis that they want more detail.  I am happy to provide the detail but need to make the point clear that this is not how the process works.  The report was given well in advance and no clarifications were sought prior to or at the time of the meeting.

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It is councillors responsibility to ensure that they have access to all documents relevant to an agenda matter BEFORE they vote at council on it. If information was not presented or withheld then councillors are at liberty to have the decision revisited in light of new information