TRIMDON FOUNDRY PARISH COUNCIL
Public Attendance and Participation Policy
Document: Public Attendance and Version: 2.1
Participation Policy Author: Nicola Rainey-Cummings, Parish Clerk; Date: July 2025
Approval Date:16 September 2025 Review Date:September 2025

Trimdon Foundry Parish Council wishes to encourage the public to attend and participate in its meetings as one means of engaging and consulting with the people it represents. The Council is aware that Public Participation is only one of several appropriate means of consultation with the public.
In order that Council Meetings may operate effectively, the following rules will apply:

1. Members of the public are welcome to attend any full Parish Council meeting.
2. If the meeting is being held by Zoom or another remote means, attendees must remain visible on camera for the duration of their attendance.
3. An agenda item of Public Participation will be included on every full Parish Council meeting agenda, subject to the Chairman's approval.
4. The Public Participation item is an opportunity to ask questions only, and not to make statements beyond what is necessary to explain the background to a question.
5. All questions to be asked should be submitted to the Parish Clerk at least 48 hours before the meeting. Other questions may be allowed, at the Chairman's discretion.
6. Public Participation at a meeting is restricted to items of business on the agenda for the meeting. Members of the public who wish to communicate about business which is not included in the agenda for a meeting may communicate with the Council in alternative ways e.g. by written correspondence or attending Councillor's surgeries.
7. Public Participation will take place at the beginning of the meeting and will last for a maximum period of 15 minutes.
8. Each member of the public will be allowed a maximum of 3 minutes to ask their question(s).
9. The Chairman and Councillors may ask questions in return, to clarify or better understand the question asked.
10. The Chairman will determine in what order members of the public will be allowed to ask their questions, having regard to who has previously asked questions at that meeting and previous meetings, and whether questions to be asked are the same or similar to other questions already asked.
11. No decisions other than undertaking further research or writing to relevant bodies can be taken at the meeting at which a matter is first raised.
12. Answers to questions about services the Parish Council provides will be given at the meeting whenever possible. If this is not possible a written response will be sent to the questioner within 14 days of the meeting, the contents of which will be relayed to the next Parish Council meeting.

 

Page added 22nd September 2025

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