A Guide to Public
Questions at Council Meetings
Members of the public are able to come along to the
Council Meetings and ask the Council a question on a topic within
the Council's control. A total of 30 minutes is
allocated at the Council meeting for the public
questions.
What will you need to
do?
Questions to Council will be permitted if they meet
the following criteria:
Questions must relate to:
-
The Councils Policies;
-
The work of the Council in respect of any matter or
issue affecting the Borough.
Questions relating to the following will not be
allowed:
-
The questioner personally or their
family;
-
Any specific planning applications for planning
permission or any licenses;
-
Any Councillor or Officer of the Council or any
member of the public;
-
Any defamatory confidential or exempt
information;
Once you have met the question
criteria.
Submit the question in writing to the Chief Executive
before 5pm 3 clear working days before the Council
meeting. Questions can be submitted to
democratic.services@west-norfolk.gov.uk
Your question and its content will be recorded in a
register in the order they are received. The Register is
available to the members of the public for viewing before the
Council meeting;
Once you have submitted a question, the Chief
Executive will write to you and confirm:
-
Whether or not the question is valid and
complies;
-
The date, time and place of the meeting at which the
question can be asked;
-
The procedure for asking the question and receiving
an answer;
-
Your position in a list of people who wish to ask a
question
Meeting Protocol
You should arrive 10-15 minutes before the start of
the meeting and make yourself known to the Democratic Services
Officer present who will show you where you may stand to address
the Council.
If you submit a question, you may pose the question
to the Council yourself or you can ask a friend to do so for
you.
You may also ask a supplementary question after your
original question has been answered but the response and the time
taken to ask the supplementary question shall not exceed a total of
5 minutes.
The Council will not be able to debate the question
or its answer at that meeting.
Responses
You should address your question to the Mayor and it
will be answered by any Councillor or officer of the Council
nominated by the Mayor.
A reply may be one of the following:
-
A direct oral response;
-
In exceptional circumstances, a written reply can be
given. If this does happen then the Mayor will explain why an
oral response is inconvenient and the reasons for this, which will
be minuted. A written response shall be received within 7
days of the meeting;
-
The Mayor will nominate which Councillor will
respond to your question.
Where and when?
View details of Council meetings here