How should the minutes read

Question

On the agenda we have To receive apologies for absence all the clerk writes  on the minutes is cllrs name then personal is this correct or should it read the reason that they gave for there absence also should there be a vote on whether the council except they excuses

Answer 1

It is up to the Council to determine its policy on apologies and opinions vary widely. If you are using the model standing orders, the minimum requirement is as follows:-

3t The minutes of a meeting shall include an accurate record of the following:
i. the time and place of the meeting;
ii. the names of councillors who are present and the names of councillors who are absent;

Answer 2

Along with the advice given by Dave there is, I have always thought, more importance placed on acceptance or rejection of reasons for absence from the summoning of councillors to a council meeting by the clerk.

It is an obligation of councillors to attend that summons or provide a valid reason why they cannot comply. All reasons need to be accepted or rejected( or investigated) by vote of the council as an absence of 6 consecutive meeting carries with it one of the few ways a councillor can be stripped of their elected position as a councillor.

 Whilst it may be seen by some clerks as an "imposition" and  additional workload on them and by some councillors as an un-important box ticking matter, I would argue that it is vital to not only to protect the councillor from losing their position on the council but giving an accurate record open to community scrutiny as a measure of their elected representatives attendance at council business on their behalf.

Answer 3

As has been said many councils have their own policy on how apologies or absences are treated.  In my council, apologies are noted (not accepted or rejected) in the minutes but as they are not formally accepted in accordance with legislation, if apologies are noted for six consecutive months, the councillor will cease to be a councillor in accordance with legislation after failing to attend meetings for six months.  For an apology to be "accepted" the reason for the absence needs to be agreed by council and some councillors are unwilling for this to be discussed, viewing it as an invasion of privacy; hence the policy adopted by my council.  However, if an absence is approaching six months, the councillor is invited to request acceptance of absence to, in effect, re-set the six month absence clock.  It's useful if, for example, illness of the councillor or a family member is the reason.

Comments

I take a similar approach, but it's interesting to note that standing orders refer to those who are absent, as opposed to those who have sent their apologies. I've fallen into the trap of noting only those who have sent their apologies, but I have councillors who simply don't turn up, so I don't mention them, partly as an expression of my frustration that they couldn't even be bothered to send me a text message!