Questions about town and parish councils
Follow Councillor Q&A on X/Twitter

Follow us on X/Twitter

0 votes
I believe it to be the clerks and best practice is to consult with the chair ..... I’m on a council where it seems we have councillors that seem to want to to undermined the clerks at every opportunity.
by (120 points)

2 Answers

+1 vote
The statutory and standing agenda is compiled by the clerk, that is matters that have to occur at a certain meeting or in a certain order. However all councillors are invited to request matters for inclusion at the next meeting and should be included at the request of the councillor unless the matter has already been resolved in the last 6 months, or there is a good (proper) reason it cannot be discussed.

The clerk is the council, but is directed by councillors. As you have not expanded on what you mean by being undermined I dont know what abuse of process you believe has happened.
by (9.0k points)
The clerk is the proper officer of the council,  we have councillors who are requesting items be put on their committees agendas that they have no remit for under they terms of reference
The final decision rests with the Clerk and, if the item falls outside the terms of reference for that committee, the answer must always be no. If there is a case for widening the terms of reference, that can be considered by the Council, but not by the committee.
Agreed with this in totality
0 votes
The Clerk signs the agenda; it is the Clerk's agenda.  Councillors can request items for inclusion but the decision is with the Clerk.  It is the Clerk's role to ensure that the terms of reference and procedure of the meeting is followed correctly and legally.  Sounds like a review of your committees is in order....
by (24.3k points)

Welcome to Town & Parish Councillor Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community. All genuine questions and answers are welcome. Follow us on Twitter to see the latest questions as they are asked - click on the image button above or follow @TownCouncilQA. Posts from new members may be delayed as we are unfortunately obliged to check each one for spam. Spammers will be blacklisted.

You may find the following links useful:

We have a privacy policy and a cookie policy.

Clares Cushions logo Peacock cushion

Clare's Cushions creates beautiful hand made cushions and home accessories from gorgeous comtemporary fabrics. We have a fantastic selection of prints including Sophie Allport and Orla Kiely designs and most covers can be ordered either alone or with a cushion inner. Buying new cushions is an affordable and effective way to update your home interior, they're also a great gift idea. Visit our site now

2,921 questions
5,669 answers
8,009 comments
10,040 users
Google Analytics Alternative