Debating a matter of community interest

Question

Is it possible for a Parish Council to allow for a public discussion on a matter pertinent to the community interest during the body of the Council meeting of can the public only participate during the public session at the beginning of the meeting. Can the Chair suspend and reopen an agenda item to allow for council participation?

Answer 1

The Chairman has discretion to allow this. The model standing orders 3e and 3f state:-

e) Members of the public may make representations, answer questions and give evidence at a meeting which they are entitled to attend in respect of the business on the agenda.
f) The period of time designated for public participation at a meeting in accordance with standing order 3(e) shall not exceed ten minutes unless directed by the chairman of the meeting.

There is no prescribed format for this process. It's usually taken as an agenda item at the start of the meeting, but need not be. We have District and County Councillors at every meeting and after their reports, members of the public may ask them questions. As long as the Chairman is clear about when the public can and cannot speak, it all goes without a hitch.

Answer 2

A skilled, confident and competent chair can and absolutely should facilitate the active participation of the general public. This is especially relevant and necessary when a significant issue of public interest arises.
There may be those that see the public as a nuisance or an interference to usual council business but they must be discarded in favour of embracing community engagement. Even convene a specific XO to deal exclusively with the most pressing issue if required.
Don’t be constrained by slavish (often misinterpretation) obedience to so called rules.

Answer 3

I have in the past suspended a meeting when it was clear people in the public gallery wished to address council and would do so again without hesitation. The alternative seems to be banging the gavel manically which I would suggest is sub-optimal. If I am chairing It will always be done in a controlled manner effectively giving them an additional opportunity to address council (in addition to public participation session). Sometimes it’s often just a very helpful intervention or single point that only became apparent when a member or officer introduced item in more detail within actual meeting. The sector regulalry bemoans low attendnance / engagement.. well if you want folk to my view is make them feel welcome and who knows might help fill the vast number of vacancies (often 3+ per council round here)    

Answer 4

Allways. Many councils lose sight of why they exist which is to facilitate the wishes of the community who elected them. Listening to the public at a council meeting is the very first stage in communicating with the community, and never to use so called rules to silence them.

Answer 5

It is perfectly acceptable to extend the length of the public session but on a practical note, if it is such a big issue, it would always be better to have a separate meeting to allow for a full discussion.  The reason being that there would be other business that the council has to cover and the standing orders will have a time limit on the meeting (albeit one that can be extended).  We did this for an issue relating to our library and about 100 residents attended a specific meeting on the subject - hired a different hall to accommodate them - and they felt that they were truly involved in the discussion.