Issue - meetings

This report sets out notices of motions ruled in order.

The Council received a Motion submitted under FCR 14 of Appendix 4 of the Constitution.

Motion 1

The Council unanimously resolved to debate this Motion at the meeting.

In pursuance of the Council’s Rules of Procedure, Councillor Chris Ames MOVED and Councillor Julie Morris SECONDED the following Motion:

Motion

“This council notes that the phrase “Part Two”

·                is regularly used by officers and members as a euphemism for both the exclusion of press and public from public meetings and decisions not to publish documents relevant to discussion at public meetings

·                has no defined meaning in law

·                does not appear in the sections of the council’s constitution or operating framework covering these issues

·                causes confusion amongst officers and members and, most importantly,

·                can exclude residents from understanding council proceedings.

Therefore this council

·                instructs officers not to state on any meeting agenda that unpublished documents relate to part two of the meeting when the agenda for that meeting is not in two or more parts

·                advises officer and members not to use the phrase Part Two in any public forum as a euphemism for the exclusion of press and public or the withholding of information.”

Upon being put the motion was LOST with 7 votes for, 15 against, 1 abstention and the Mayor not voting.

Note: Councillor Alex Coley left the meeting during the debate on this item and did not participate in the vote on this item.