Public question time

How to ask questions at Council and Cabinet meetings

Questions by the Public

A period of up to 30 minutes is allowed at ordinary meetings of the Council and at Cabinet meetings during which members of the public may ask questions of members of the Cabinet.

Questions will be asked in the order notice of them was received, except that the Chairman may group together similar questions.

Questions may only be asked if notice has been given by delivering it in writing or by email to the Head of Democratic Services no later than midday three working days before the day of the meeting. Each question must give the name and address of the questioner and the name of the organisation they represent (if applicable) and must name the Cabinet member to whom it is to be put.

At any one meeting no person may submit more than three questions and no more than three such questions may be asked on behalf of one organisation.

The Head of Democratic Services may reject a question if:

• in respect of a question at Council, it is not about a matter for which the local authority has a responsibility or which affects the district; or in respect of a question at Cabinet, it is not about a matter which is relevant to the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Cabinet; or
• it is defamatory, frivolous or offensive; or
• it is substantially the same as a question which has been put at a meeting of the Council in the past six months; or
• it requires the disclosure of confidential or exempt information; or
• it is a statement rather than an enquiry to obtain information.

The Head of Democratic Services will enter each question in a book open to public inspection and will immediately send a copy of the question to the Cabinet member to whom it is to be put.

Copies of all questions will be circulated to all councillors at the meeting and will be made available to the public attending the meeting.

The Chairman will invite the questioner to put the question to the councillor named in the notice. If a questioner who has submitted a written question is unable to be present, he or she may ask the Chairman to put the question on his or her behalf. The Chairman may ask the question on the questioner’s behalf, indicate that a written reply will be given or decide, in the absence of the questioner, that the question will not be dealt with.

A questioner who has put a question in person may also put one supplementary question without notice to the councillor who has replied to his or her original question. A supplementary question must arise directly out of the original question or the reply. The Chairman may reject a supplementary question on any of the grounds mentioned above. Unless the Chairman decides otherwise, no discussion will take place on any question.

Any question which cannot be dealt with during public question time, either because of lack of time or because of the non-attendance of the councillor to whom it was to be put, will be dealt with by a written answer. (Minutes of the meeting will record the fact that a question has been asked and by whom and indicate briefly the subject but will not give details of the question or of the answer).

At a Council meeting, any councillor may move that a matter raised by a question be referred to the Cabinet or the appropriate committee or sub-committee. Once seconded, such a motion will be voted on without discussion.