Issue - meetings

To consider whether to suspend Standing Order 12 at meetings of the Joint Committee to allow County and District Councillors not on the committee to speak at meetings.

The Joint Committee agreed to suspend standing order 12 to allow Councillor Jackie Porter to speak. Councillor Porter noted that the County Council Standing Orders exclude elected members from making a deputation to a meeting and exclude a repeat deputation on the same topic within six months. She requested that these parts of Standing Orders be suspended for the duration of the Joint Committee, to enable local councillors to speak at the meetings due to the potential impact of the proposals on their residents.

The Members of the Joint Committee debated this request. It was discussed that requests to speak within six months could be considered if the programme had reached a different stage. It was discussed that while the views of local members were relevant, it was important to retain standing orders in order to manage time at the meetings. Following the debate the Joint Committee:

RESOLVED: That requests to speak at meetings of the Joint Committee would be considered on an ad hoc basis and consideration given to the suspension of standing orders around deputations on a case by case basis.