Does the clerk have authority to convene an ordinary meeting?

Question

Is a council clerk entitled to convene a meeting on their own authority?   Ordinary meetings are covered by the Local Government Act 1972 Schedule 12 paragraph 8 which says:

(1) A parish council shall in every year hold, in addition to the annual meeting, such other meetings (not less than three) as they may determine.

(2) Those other meetings shall be held at such hour and on such days as the council may determine.

(my emphases).  This would seem to say that ordinary meetings are set by the council and in the absence of any delegated authority in standing orders, how could the clerk acquire such a power?

Answer 1

The meetings are normally set and agreed upon at the annual meeting of the council. Any other meetings would be extra-ordinary meetings and there is legislation in place regarding how these are to be convened.

Comments

Our Parish Clerk called extra meetings, NOT extraordinary meetings,  refused agenda items so we refused to attend and then cancelled the Annual Meeting agenda and replaced it with the previous one.The next meeting is again an ordinary one. Yes they can and do manipulate.