Standing Orders
Greatford Parish Council Standing Orders
(as amended by the Council on 24 July 2007)
Meetings
1. The Parish Council shall meet on at least four occasions in each year. One of these meetings shall be the Annual Parish Council Meeting.
2. The Annual Parish Council Meeting shall be held
(a) in the year of the common election – on the 4th day after the election to the council or within 14 days thereafter;
(b) in non-election years – on any day in May.
Chairman
3. If present, the Chairman shall preside at the meeting. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman (if any) shall preside at the meeting. In the absence of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman the first business of the meeting shall be to appoint a Chairman for the meeting.
4. The person presiding at the meeting may exercise the powers and duties of the Chairman relating to the conduct of the meeting.
Quorum
5. A quorum shall consist of 3 or one-third of the membership of the Council (whichever is greater).
Voting
6. Voting shall be by a show of hands or, if at least two members so request, by signed ballot.
7. If a member so demands, a recorded vote shall be entered in the minutes by the clerk.
8. The Chairman may give his own vote on any matter put to the vote.
9. (a) The person presiding, in the case of an equality of votes, may give a casting vote whether or not he/she gave an original vote except as in (b) below.
(b) If the person presiding at the opening of the Parish Council Meeting would have ceased to be a member of the Council but for the statutory provisions which preserve the membership of the Chairman until their successor is appointed he or she will not vote in the election for Chairman.
Order Of Business
10. The first business at each Annual Parish Council Meeting shall be to
(a) elect a Chairman.
(b) Receive the Chairman’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
(c) Receive any Declarations of Acceptance of Office as are required to be made.
Order Of Business at every meeting other than the Annual Parish Council Meeting
11. (a) Apologies, preferably with reason for absence.
(b) Election of Chairman (if necessary).
(c) To receive any Declarations of Acceptance of Office.
(d) After consideration to approve the signing of the Minutes as a correct recorded by the person presiding at the meeting.
(e) To deal with business expressly required by Statute to be done. Business listed in the Agenda should be debated as necessary then a resolution should be moved (proposed) that can be seconded and then passed by the Council. The decision must be reached by the affirmative vote of a majority present and voting, and if this is not secured the resolution is rejected in any case. A decision on a topic ends discussion upon it at that meeting.
Expenditure
12. (a) Authorisation for expenditure shall be by the Parish Council.
(b) All cheques and cheque stubs shall be signed by two members of the Council. Committees
13. These may be appointed by the Council. Advisory Committees can contain all or some non-council members of any age. All members of a finance committee must be members of the appointing Council. Any council can arrange to have any of its functions, except the power to borrow money or issue a precept exercised by a committee. Interests
14. i) Each Member shall abide by the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council on 24 July 2007.
ii) When registering his/her interests in accordance with paragraph 13 of the Code, each Member shall complete the appropriate form provided by the Monitoring Officer or the Clerk, and return the completed form via the Clerk, who will retain a copy of the return.
iii) Each Member shall, whenever necessary, declare and personal or prejudicial interest in accordance with paragraphs 9 and 10 of the Code. The Clerk shall record such declarations in the minutes of the meeting and in a register of members’ interests.
Minutes
15. All Minutes kept by the Council and its Committees shall be open for inspection by any member of the Council.
Admission Of Public And Press
16. (a) The Public and Press shall be admitted to all meetings of the Council and its Committees. Any member of the public may address the Council on any relevant issue
i) during the Public Forum at any Council meeting, or
ii) provided he/she has given notice to the Clerk prior to the commencement of the meeting that he/she wishes to provide information or clarification in relation to an item on the agenda, at the start of the relevant agenda item (prior to the members commencing debate on the issue), or
iii) at the discretion of the Chairman, during any relevant item of the Council’s agenda; subject in each case to the Chairman exercising any necessary discretion to limit the number and length of any interventions to protect the Council’s ability to progress its business.
(b) The Press and public may be excluded temporarily from meetings by means of a resolution
”That in view of the special (or confidential) nature of the business about to be transacted, it is in the public interest that the public are temporarily excluded and they are asked to withdraw” – the special reasons should be stated.