Have your say at council meetings

You are welcome to come along to many of our council and committee meetings. 

Although the meetings are held in public, parts of the meeting, known as Part 2, may be held in private. This part of the meeting will be used to discuss information which is either personal or sensitive.

You can view upcoming or past meetings on our committee system.

Find a council meeting

Documents are generally available 5 clear working days before a meeting, excluding the day of the meeting itself. Minutes and decisions will be available following the meeting.

Meetings of working groups and task groups are not usually held in public.  
 

Meetings you can come along to

There is a space set aside at meetings for members of the public. You don't have to let us know in advance if you just plan to attend.

Speaking at a meeting

If you wish to speak at a meeting you will need to let us know in advance.

You can register to speak at any of the following meetings:

• Council
• Cabinet
• Scrutiny
• Audit and Standards Committee
• Licensing and Environmental Health*
• Planning
• Local Plan Panel

*(except when dealing with individual cases)

With the exception of Planning Committee and the Local Plan Panel, there are 15 minutes available at the start of each meeting for members of the public who wish to speak.

Speaking at Council meetings

You must register with the Democratic Services team by midday at least 2 working days before the meeting if you wish to speak at any of the following:

• Council
• Cabinet
• Scrutiny
• Audit and Standards Committee
• Licensing and Environmental Health (except when dealing with individual cases)

⚠ Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays are not considered working days for the council.

How long you can speak for

At the meeting you will be allowed a maximum of 3 minutes to speak. You may speak about any matters which are on the agenda or those which fall within the responsibility of the committee.
 

Speaking at Planning Committee

Meetings of the Planning Committee are open to the public. They usually take place every 4 weeks, on a Wednesday starting at 10.00am.

Town or parish council representative and members of the public may attend the meeting and speak on any application being determined by Planning Committee.

If you wish to speak about a planning application you must register with the Democratic Services team by 2pm on the day before the meeting. When you register to speak you should tell us whether you are supporting or opposing the application.

Any speakers will be invited to make their representations in the following order:

• non-committee members
• supporters
• objectors
• town /parish council representatives
• applicants or agents

How long you can speak for

Non-committee members may speak for up to 5 minutes. 

The town and parish council representative may speak for up to 5 minutes. 

Members of the public may speak for up to 3 minutes. Five slots are available to members of the public. 

Applicants and their representatives may speak for the same amount of time as those speaking against the application (non-committee members, town/parish council and objectors). 

If an application is recommended for approval and there are no registered speakers against the application, the applicant/agent will have the right to speak for up to 5 minutes.

Speaking at Local Plan Panel

Meetings of the Local Plan Panel are arranged on a regular basis and are held in the evening, usually at 7pm.

How long you can speak for

At the start of the meeting there will be an opportunity for up to 10 members of the public to ask questions and make statements. Each speaker will have 4 minutes to make their statement.

If you would like to speak you must register with the Democratic Services team by 2pm on the working day before the meeting.