Question

We have a Parish Councillor who misses approx 1 in 3 meetings without apologies. What action that can be taken?

Answer 1

This isn't going to help you but in reality, absolutely nothing can be done.  Unless or until the individual is absent for six months, he/she remains a councillor.  Perhaps the individual can be encouraged to attend training at which the importance of attendance at meetings and/or an offer of apologies can be stressed.  If the individual is new to the council it may be that they are unaware of the need to offer apologies if they don't attend.  Do they need any support to be able to attend?  We did have one one councillor who was persistently absent once and found out they were relying on a neighbour to act as taxi as they didn't drive and the neighbour wasn't always able to oblige.  The solution was for another councillor to pick the individual up every month.  Might be worth checking.

Answer 2

The answer could easily be that they are not bothered/disinterested.

But in my experience as a clerk there could be many other reasons and it might be worth trying to find out.  For example, they could feel out of their depth if this the first time as a councillor, they may have dyslexia and struggle to cope with all the paperwork, they could have child-care difficulties.  And so on ...

Who knows ... with a bit of help they could turn out to be a valuable member of the team.  Then again ...

Answer 3

What “action” can be taken….?
If you mean some kind of punitive action, then the answer is absolutely nothing
Action in regard to sporadic attendance or action in regard to not sending apologies for sporadic attendance.
In reverse order - what action about not sending apologies…

Is the subject a recently arrived Cllr or long standing?

Have they had an induction process if newly in role (which in our example is a specific responsibility of the clerk)

What is the issue about a Cllr not sending apologies for non-attendance - they are irrelevant other than as a notional courtesy, they are either present at the meeting and recorded as such or they are absent.  You literally can do NOTHING about a Cllr not submitting an apology other than ask if they know it is an option
Sporadic attendance at meetings - again, you can ask if there is a reason but it will be entirely at the subjects discretion whether they divulge and - other than 6 months continuous non attendance - there isn’t any ACTION which can be taken
Takes all sorts - maybe 1 in 3 is as much as they can or want to contribute and if that is the case the only action is to say “…thank you, understood, see you next time…” and get on with something else

Comments

Just for interest.
Sometime ago there was a Cllr who was not noted in the minutes as in attendance, but further down in the minutes it was written that this Cllr had commented or proposed an item. This happened, I believe twice. If the Cllr had not commented on an item, then the attendance rule would have applied, as the Cllr would not have attended 6 months of continuous meetings. No amendments ever made to correct the minutes.

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It wouldn’t be a disqual though, that only applies if he didn’t attend.
It would be an admin error.

Answer 4

Not much can be done. If the cllr doesn't attend any meeting (inc. committees) for a continuous 6 month period and his/her apologies, if sent,  were not accepted by the meeting, then my understanding is the cllr is out of office.  But if the cllr sends apologies and they are explicitly accepted by a vote of the meeting, the 6 month clock is reset.