Can committee minutes be added to, after the committee has accepted them, as new information has been omitted?

Question

A committee, with a new chair, has accepted their minutes, but the clerk has omitted a highly relevant up-to-date piece of information.
The clerk has stated in the minutes that 'she [the clerk] ask for information from the charity commission, but quoted an old email. There is in fact new information from the charity commission which the clerk has not used because it quotes the contrary to the old email.
Can the minutes have the up-to-date email added? I'd appreciate help here. Can a post script be added?

Answer 1

It would of course depend on whether the minutes referred to a decision made at the meeting and whether the terms of the committee allowed for them to make decisions based on their deliberations. If they passed a proposal and new evidence came to light then the proposal must be re-visited at the earliest opportunity. If it was an omission made then the minutes should not be adopted and signed as such. Genuine mistakes do happen and should be corrected asap.

Comments

Thank you, this is extremely helpful, sensible and practical advice. Your point concerning the possible re-visiting of a proposal is useful information, but it looks to be an error of omission.

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Small items can be corrected when minutes are formally adopted.  So, for example, if the draft omits some element of a resolution that members feel - and agreed by resolution - should be included, a handwritten amendment can be made at the time the minutes are put forward for approval and initialled by the chair at the time the minutes are signed.  The fact that a change has been approved should also be included in the minutes of the meeting at which the change is agreed.

Answer 2

Of course they can’t be revised because they are a record of what happened at the meeting not what should have happened.

To start revising minutes like that is a slippery path

Comments

I am somewhat confused as the clerk adds post script to minutes, after meetings to add additional information - like quotes for work or extra information. Should this not happen either?

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Absolutely not!  Minutes are a record of what decisions are taken at a meeting, not what should have happened or what happened afterwards.  In fact, I'd suggest that minutes that have additions or postscripts are not valid minutes and certainly not a true record of that meeting.  If there is subsequent information that has arisen it should be reported at the next meeting.  Whilst "matters arising" is not considered good practice, most clerks will have an information only item such as a "clerks report" or maybe "update on resolution x" or something similar when additional information or a progress report can be made and noted.

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The problem with recording just decisions is that when Councillors are given wrong information on which they base their decision there is no record they were misled

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Then it is up to councillors to bring that decision back to the table for review.  Whilst there is a six month rule to revisit decisions (designed to prevent things being constantly brought back when the decision doesn't go the way a few might wish), new information, such as information which suggests previous advice might be incorrect, is a perfectly valid reason for reviewing a decision.  Clearly, this all has to be taken in context of what the decision is or how far it has been implemented but going back to the original point, minutes are a record of what has been agreed or decided at a meeting regardless of whether that decision was the right one at the time or whether that decision was influenced by incorrect information.  Corrections or amendments to a decision are in themselves separate issues/decisions and should be recorded as such.