Members of the public may ask questions of the Leader, and other members of the Cabinet, at ordinary meetings of the Council.
Only one question may be permitted and should be submitted using the form below:
Questions to be submitted no later than ten clear working days before the day of the meeting. Clear working days mean it does not include the day of the meeting.
Please see deadlines for public questions below:
| Full Council Meeting | Public Questions Deadline (5pm) |
|---|---|
| 21 June 2023 | 06 June 2023 |
| 26 July 2023 | 11 July 2023 |
| 20 September 2023 | 05 September 2023 |
| 29 November 2023 | 14 November 2023 |
| 24 January 2024 | 09 January 2024 |
| 28 February 2024 | 13 February 2024 |
| 03 April 2024 | 15 March 2024 |
Ask a question at a Council meeting
Questions can only be asked at "ordinary" meetings, and not the annual meeting, which is usually held in May each year, nor extraordinary meetings called throughout the year.
Your question should be succinct, and not a statement. You may include a short pre-amble, but questions should be no more than two sentences.
Please note that the Monitoring Officer may reject a question if it:
a) Is not about a matter for which the Council has a responsibility or which affects the district;
b) Is defamatory, frivolous or offensive;
c) Is substantially the same as a question which has been put at a meeting of the Council in the past six months; or
d) Requires the disclosure of confidential or exempt information.
If your question is rejected by the Monitoring Officer, you will be notified within three working days.
At the meeting
The Chairman will invite the questioner to put the question to the councillor named in the notice. The relevant Cabinet Member/Chairman will then respond to the question. The questioner may then as one relevant supplementary question. This must arise directly out of the original question, or the reply.
If a questioner, is not present at the meeting, the question will not be answered.
There will be a time limit of 30 minutes for public questions, and any question, which cannot be dealt with during public question time, will be dealt with by a written answer within ten clear working days.