Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Corporate Services

The Cabinet Member Corporate Services introduced the report on the Council Diary September 2016 to August 2017.  There has been wide consultation with councillors and officers, and any feedback had been considered and the diary revised as appropriate.

A Member suggested that in future Council meetings should start at 5 p.m. to encourage a wider range of people to stand as councillors, including mothers with young children, and to facilitate public attendance.

In the debate that followed, there were mixed views about whether an afternoon meeting would be preferable for Councillors with families and it was acknowledged that working patterns were very different in the modern world. It was suggested that web casting should be looked at as a more effective way of getting more public engagement. One member suggested that all council meetings should avoid school holidays. Members also highlighted that consideration also needed to be given to officers in attendance at evening Council meetings as they too had family commitments.

The Cabinet Member thanked members for their comments. Apart from the point about school holidays the timing issue had not been raised during the consultation on the diary for the coming Municipal Year but he would be happy to look at the issues ahead of the drafting of the diary for 2017/18. He would also investigate the options for web casting.

Upon a vote it was unanimously

Resolved that the draft Council diary of meetings for September 2016 to August 2017 be approved.