Question

Should reasons for abstentions be included in the minutes if requested?

Answer 1

Before the meeting moves to the next item, any member of the Council may ask for the vote to be recorded in the minutes, but this is normally limited to the names and how each person voted. Reasons would probably be at the Clerk's discretion.

Comments

No that is SO 1(s) requesting a recorded vote. My question is, if a member who abstained wanted their reason for abstaining to be recorded in the minutes.  You say this would probably be at the clerk's discretion maybe, albeit the clerk usually produces minutes but why? Shouldn't the Chair have a say on the matter? Or, if contentious, should a vote be taken? What do you think?

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In my opinion, Councils have more important matters to attend to than debating whether or not the reason a Councillor failed to express an opinion when asked to do so should become part of the permanent record. If the Clerk adopts a more verbatim style of reporting on who said what during the debate, this might include the reason for an abstention, but the core requirement for the minutes is that they record the decisions of the Council, but not necessarily the opinions of its members.

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As DavetheClerk said, minutes are to record decisions. I would go further and say that allowing councillors' statements to be recorded in the minutes is best resisted strongly. Otherwise it is a slippery slope towards the minutes becoming a public battleground for rival opinions.

Answer 2

An abstention is a non vote so it is neither for nor against. An abstention has no relevance other than it is a wasted vote in my opinion.   One vote for a resolution and ten abstentions mean the resolution is carried.  I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to minute why someone chose to vote neither for nor against any resolution I'd simply expect to see whether the proposal was carried or not.

The only time I'd expect to see a reference to an abstention from voting is if an individual councillor had declared a personal interest in a matter and as a result did not vote.  In such circumstances the recording of the abstention simply notes that the councillor complied with the code of conduct.

Comments

Agree.. Spot on.