The meeting was called a 'closed' extraordinary meeting but the minutes read as follows re 3 individual councillors to interiview potential candidates for the post of council clerk as individual councillors (ie not members of any council committee)- seemingly not in any convened council meeting, and further allows these individual councillors to decide and make their chosen candidate an offer of employment - ie not recommend their preferred candidate to the full council at the next properly convened parish council meeting.
Are the following just published minuted resolutions of our parish council at their extraordinary 'closed' meeting lawful or have members of the parish council acted ultra vires?
To resolve the format of interviews and who will be on the interview panel
Cllr Hobson proposed and Cllr Evans seconded that the interview panel will consist of Cllr Hobson, Cllr Henderson and Cllr King. A vote took place and it was agreed by all.
Resolved: The interview panel will consist of Cllr Hobson, Cllr Henderson and Cllr King.
To resolve to delegate authority to the interview panel, providing the interview panel is in full agreement, to make a job offer It was proposed by Cllr Day and seconded by Cllr Evans that the interview panel, providing they are in full agreement, have the delegated authority to make a job offer. A vote took place and it was agreed by all.
Resolved: The interview panel, providing they are in full agreement, have the delegated authority to make a job offer.
Have I the right as a resident to ask when and where this 'interview' meeting of three councillors will take place? Should any such session held outside a properly convened parish council meeting be advertised and held as an extraordinary council meeting or is it OK for it to take place in private without any published notice or agenda in one of the councillor's houses or in a pub or the village cafe? No notice for a meeting of three councillors to conduct staaffing interivews has appeared on the council website or on noticeboards - nor, I suspect is it ever likely to do so.