Standing Orders
1. ANNUAL MEETING
a. In an election year shall be held within 14 days of the election.
b. In a year that is not an election year shall be held on the second Wednesday in May.
2. MEETINGS
a. Meetings of the Council shall be held at 7.00pm unless the Council otherwise decides at a previous meeting.
b. Ordinary monthly meetings shall be held on a Tuesday at least four times a year. t
c. Meetings shall be open to the public unless their presence is prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted or for other special reasons. The public’s exclusion from part or all of a meeting shall be by a resolution which shall give reasons for the public’s exclusion.
d. Members of the public are permitted to make representations during a public participation session, answer questions and give evidence in respect of any item of business included in the agenda at the request of the Chairman.
e. In accordance with standing order 2(c) above, a question asked by a member of the public during a public participation session at a meeting shall not require a response or debate.
f. The Chairman may direct that a response to a question posed by a member of the public during a public participation session be referred to a Councillor for an oral response or to the Clerk for a written or oral response.
g. A person shall raise his hand when requesting to speak during a public participation session and shall address his comments to the Chairman.
h. During a public participation session, only one person is permitted to speak at a time. If more than one person wishes to speak, the Chairman shall direct the order of speaking.
i. Photographing, recording, broadcasting or transmitting the proceedings of a meeting by any means is permitted.
3. CHAIRMAN OF THE MEETING
a. The person presiding at a meeting may exercise all the powers and duties of the Chairman in relation to the conduct of the meeting.
b. The Parish Council will have a Chairman of the Council who may serve in consecutive years in office.
4. PROPER OFFICER
a. Where a statute, regulation or order confers functions or duties on the Proper Officer of the Council, (s)he shall be the Clerk.
5. QUORUM
a. Three Members shall constitute a quorum.
6. VOTING
a. Members shall vote by show of hands when requested by the Chairman, or, if at least two Members so request, by signed ballot.
b. If a Member so requires, the Clerk shall record the names of the Members who voted on any question so as to show whether they voted for or against it.
c. Subject to (i) and (ii) below, the Chairman may give an original vote on any matter put to the vote and, in the case of an equality of votes, may give a casting vote even though (s)he gave no original vote.
i) If the person presiding at the Annual Meeting would have ceased to be a Member of the Council but for the statutory provisions which preserve the membership of the Chairman and Vice-chairman until the end of their term of office, (s)he may not give an original vote in an election for Chairman.
ii) The person presiding must give a casting vote whenever there is an equality of votes in an election for Chairman.
7. ORDER OF BUSINESS
a. At each Annual Parish Meeting the first business shall be
i) To elect a Chairman and to receive the Chairman’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office form or, if not then received, to decide when it shall be received.
ii) To elect a Vice-chairman
b. At every meeting other than the Annual Meeting the first business shall be to appoint a Chairman if the Chairman and Vice-chairman be absent.
c. After the first business has been completed, the order of business, unless the Council decides otherwise on the ground of urgency, shall be as follows:-
i) Confirmation of the accuracy of the minutes of the last meeting
ii) After consideration to approve the signature of the Minutes by the presiding Chairman as a correct record
iii) To deal with business expressly required by statute to be done.
iv) Any other business specified in the published meeting agenda
8. RESOLUTIONS MOVED ON NOTICE
a. Every resolution or recommendation shall be relevant to some question over which the Council has power or which affects its area.
9. RESOLUTIONS MOVED WITHOUT NOTICE
a. Resolutions dealing with the following matters may be moved without notice:-
i) To appoint a Chairman of the meeting;
ii) To correct the Minutes;
iii) To approve the Minutes;
iv) To alter the order of business;
v) To proceed to the next business. Where a resolution to proceed to the next business has been moved a vote shall be taken without further discussion;
vi) To close or adjourn the debate;
vii) To refer a matter to a committee;
viii) To appoint a committee or any Members thereof;
ix) To adopt a report;
x) To authorise the sealing of documents;
xi) To amend a motion;
xii) To give leave to withdraw a motion or an amendment;
xiii) To extend the time limit for speeches;
xiv) To consider otherwise than in committee a question affecting an employee of the Council;
xv) To exclude the public and press;
xvi) To silence or eject from the meeting a Member named for misconduct;
xvii) To invite a Member having an interest in the subject matter under debate to remain;
xviii) To give consent of the Council where such consent is required by these Standing Orders; or
xix) To suspend Standing Orders
10. RULES OF DEBATE
a. A resolution or amendment shall not be discussed unless it has been proposed and seconded and it shall, if required by the Chairman, be reduced in writing and handed to him (her) before it is further discussed or put to the meeting.
b. A Member shall direct his (her) speech to the question under discussion or to a personal explanation (confined to some material part of a former speech by him (her) which may have been misunderstood) or to a question of order.
c. No speech shall exceed three minutes, except by consent of the Council.
d. An amendment shall be:
i) To leave out words;
ii) To leave out words and insert or add others; or
iii) To insert or add words
e. An amendment shall not have the effect of negating the motion before the Council.
f. If an amendment be carried, the resolution, as amended, shall take the place of the original resolution and shall become the resolution upon which any further amendment may be moved.
g. A further amendment shall not be moved until the Council has disposed of every amendment previously moved.
h. A motion or amendment may be withdrawn by the proposer with the unanimous consent of the Council, which shall be signified without discussion, and no Member may speak upon it after permission has been asked for its withdrawal unless such permission has been refused.
i. When a resolution is under debate no other resolution shall be moved except the following:
i) to amend the motion;
ii) to proceed to the next business;
iii) to adjourn the debate;
iv) to put the motion to a vote;
v) to ask a person to be no longer heard or to leave the meeting;
vi) to refer a motion to a committee or sub-committee for consideration;
vii) to exclude the public and press;
viii) to adjourn the meeting; or
ix) to suspend particular standing order(s) excepting those which reflect mandatory statutory requirements. 4
j. The ruling of Chairman on a point of order or on the admissibility of a personal explanation shall not be discussed.
k. Members shall address the Chairman
l. Whenever the Chairman speaks during a debate all other Members shall be silent.
11. CLOSURE
a. At the end of any speech a Member may, without comment, move “that the question be now put”, “that the debate be now adjourned” or “that the Council do now adjourn”. If such motion is seconded and if the Chairman is of the opinion that the question before the Council has been sufficiently debated (but not otherwise), (s)he shall call upon the mover to exercise or waive his (her) right of reply and shall put the question immediately after that right has been exercised or waived. The adjournment of a debate or of the Council shall not prejudice the mover’s right of reply at the resumption.
12. DISORDERLY CONDUCT
a. No person shall misconduct himself at a meeting by persistently disregarding the ruling of the Chairman, by wilfully obstructing the transaction of business, or by behaving irregularly, offensively, improperly or in such a manner as to scandalise the Council or bring it into contempt or ridicule.
b. If, in the opinion of the Chairman, a person has so misconducted himself, the Chairman shall express that opinion to the Council and thereafter any Member may move that the person named be no longer heard or that the person named be excluded from the meeting. The motion, if seconded, shall be put to the vote without discussion.
c. If either of the motions mentioned in paragraph (b) is disobeyed, the Chairman may take further reasonable steps to restore order or to progress the meeting. This may include temporarily suspending or closing the meeting.
13. RIGHT OF REPLY
a. The mover of a resolution shall have a right to reply immediately before the resolution is put to the vote. If an amendment is proposed the mover of the amendment shall be entitled to reply immediately before the amendment is put to the vote. A Member exercising a right of reply shall not introduce new matter. After the right of reply has been exercised or waived, a vote shall be taken without further discussion.
14. ALTERATION OF RESOLUTION
a. A Member may, with the consent of his (her) seconder, move amendments to his (her) own resolution.
15. VOTING ON APPOINTMENTS
a. Where more than two persons have been nominated for any position to be filled by the Council and of the votes given there is not an absolute majority in favour of one person, the name of the person having the least number of votes shall be struck off the list and a fresh vote taken, and so on until a majority of votes is given in favour of one person. A tie in votes may be settled by the casting vote exerciseable by the chairman of the meeting.
16. DISCUSSIONS AND RESOLUTIONS AFFECTING EMPLOYEES OF THE COUNCIL
a. If at a meeting there arises any question relating to the appointment, conduct, promotion, dismissal, salary or conditions of service of any person employed by the Council, it shall not be considered until the Council or committee (as the case may be) has decided whether or not the public shall be excluded.
17. EXPENDITURE
a. Orders for the payment of money shall be authorised by resolution of the Council and signed by two Members.
b. The Clerk may incur expenditure on behalf of the Council in matters concerning the management of the Council’s business and facilities provided that goods or services purchased do not exceed the sum of £250 in each instance.
18. COMMITTEES & SUB-COMMITTEES
a. The Council may at the Annual Meeting appoint standing committees and may at any other time appoint such other committees as are necessary, but subject to any statutory provision in that behalf:
i) shall not appoint any Member of a committee so as to hold office later than the next Annual Meeting, and
ii) may at any time dissolve or alter the membership of a committee.
b. Every committee shall at its first meeting, before proceeding to any other business, elect a Chairman and may elect a Vice-chairman who shall hold office until the next Annual Meeting of the Council
c. The Chairman of a committee or the Chairman of the Council may summon a special meeting of that committee at any time. A special meeting shall also be summoned on the requisition in writing of not less than a quarter of the Members of the committee. The summons shall set out the business to be considered at the special meeting and no other business shall be transacted at that meeting.
d. Every committee may appoint sub-committees for purposes to be specified by the committee.
e. Except where ordered by the Council in the case of a committee or by the Council or by the appropriate committee in the case of a sub-committee, the quorum of a committee or sub-committee shall be one half of its Members.
f. A Committee or sub-committee will be constituted to facilitate policy/decision making whenever the Council deems this appropriate.
g. The Standing Orders on rules of debate and the Standing Orders on interests of Members in contracts and other matters shall apply to committee and sub-committee meetings insofar as they are appropriate.
19. VOTING IN COMMITTEES
a. Members of committees and sub-committees shall vote by show of hands when required by the Chairman.
b. Chairman of committees and sub-committees shall have a second or casting vote.
20. PRESENCE OF NON-MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES AT COMMITTEE MEETINGS
a. A Member who has proposed a motion which has been referred to any committee of which (s)he is not a Member, may explain his (her) motion to the committee but shall not vote.
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22. Finance
Blankney PC now has a financial function and is in receipt of a precept from the district council: see Financial Regulations
23. INTERESTS
a. If any Member has any pecuniary interest, direct or indirect within the meaning of Sections 94-95 of the Local Government Act, 1972, in any contract, proposed contract or other matter, (s)he shall, while it is under consideration by the Council, withdraw from the meeting unless the interest is trivial in the manner described in section 97(b) or:-
i) The disability imposed upon him (her) by those sections has been removed by the District Council, or
ii) The Council invite him (her) to remain, or
iii) The contract, proposed contract or other matter is under consideration as a part of the report of a committee and is not itself the subject of debate.
b. The Clerk shall record in a book to be kept for the purpose, particulars of any notice given by any Member or any officer of the Council of a personal interest in a contract, and the book shall be open during reasonable hours of the day for the inspection of any Member.
c. If a candidate for any appointment under the Council is to his (her) knowledge related to any member of or the holder of any office under the Council, (s)he and the person to whom (s)he is related shall disclose the relationship in writing to the Clerk. A candidate who fails to do so shall be disqualified for such appointment, and, if appointed, may be dismissed without notice. The Clerk shall report to the Council or to the appropriate committee any such disclosure. Where relationship to a Member is disclosed the Standing Orders on interests of Members in contracts and other matters shall apply. The Clerk shall make known the purport of this Standing Order to every candidate.
24. CANVASSING OF AND RECOMMENDATIONS BY MEMBERS
a. Canvassing of Members or of any committee, directly or indirectly, for any appointment under the Council shall disqualify the candidate for such appointment. The Clerk shall make known the purport of this sub-paragraph of this Standing Order to every candidate.
b. A Member of the Council shall not solicit for any person any appointment under the Council or recommend any person for such appointment or for promotion; but nevertheless, a Member may give a written testimonial of a candidate’s ability, experience or character for submission to the Council with an application for appointment.
c. Standing Orders Nos. 40 and 41 shall apply to tenders as if the person making the tender were a candidate for an appointment.
Cllr John F Money Parish Clerk
May 6th 2021