Is Any Other Business on the agenda legal

Question

Been told numerous times AOB is illegal to make decisions under, on the agenda . However, cannot find actual law. Any help please?

Answer 1

Its poor practice - along with 'Urgent Matters' and any other non specific agenda item.  To quote from the NALC - Good Councillor Guide -

'Councils must also publish meeting agendas which are as full and informative as possible'

I have been trained that Agenda Items should be written at proposals so that everyone is aware and clear on the agenda item.

The whole point of transparency is to be clear and open on the business that is to be debated. How can a member of the public decide to join a meeting that says AOB. We do not allow any decisons or discussion  to be taken on any item not on the agenda.

Comments

Hi
 Thank you for answer and I agree. However, I have also read it is Ultra Vires to  vote on financial expenditure under AOB when I was  studying the statutes but I  have lost the copy I made so wondered if anyone knew what statute it is under. Save me ages searching.

Answer 2

If you're using the model standing orders, it's item 9b.

Comments

You might also consider the significance of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, Section 1 Para 4(b)

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Thank you so much for your help. Really appreciated

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It is of course acceptable to finish the meeting with a section headed "to receive requests for future agenda items"  which  appears in the minutes and registers matters councillors want discussed or vote on. This leaves a checkable trail of items requested and acted on and stops items being "lost" or "censored" by third parties

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I like that approach - pragmatic and proactive. It provides the prospective proposer with a “flavour” of likely support or otherwise, allows a potential seconder to be identified and provides a brief over-view to members before formalised into a draft motion.
Perhaps best of all, it facilitates council dictating future agenda content rather than clerk (esp important where there is a dysfunction or unbalanced clerk/chair/council relationship such as seems to feature frequently in questions here)

Answer 3

The premise of the question is not ideal...

It'd be a struggle to find a credible justification to say it was "illegal" and by extraction, if it's not "illegal" it must be "legal."

Whether it is "appropriate" or in accordance with good practice is another matter and that has been answered well enough below.

Comments

I think it should be compulsory to have a final agenda item for every meeting “what have we achieved today that directly  benefits our community “

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That’d be a big step forward. Although I’m not sure the blank faces and lack of comment would be exactly reassuring ):0)