The model standing orders are based upon Parliamentary procedures, which are essential when dealing with matters such as restructuring our armed forces or vanity projects such as high speed rail lines to destroy vast swathes of our beautiful countryside. Is the same degree of rigour required to determine the location of a dog poo bin?
If we want to embrace the ordinary people with a passion for their community, to bring them within the fold and allow them to play their part in our processes, is it incumbent upon us to make compromises and present ourselves in an open and unthreatening way? I know a number of Town and District Councillors who have never spoken at a meeting, for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong way. The Clerk of my local Town Council prepares a full script for the Mayor when he chairs meetings to ensure that he follows the correct procedure.
I'm not advocating that anybody should operate outside adopted procedures, but in small rural parish councils we don't have captains of industry, graduates, high-fliers. On the rare occasions we address important issues, greater formality is required, but for the most part, we record the consensus of the meeting, without a formal resolution, proposer and seconder.
