Middleton-in-Teesdale and Newbiggin Parish Council
How decisions are made
All decisions of the Council are made collectively, and no individual councillor can make a decision on behalf of the Council.
Meetings of full council are where decisions are made, on items which have been placed on the published agenda. All councillors, the press and members of the public can see in advance what decisions the Council will be making at any meeting.
Public Participation
At each full council meeting there is a 'Public Participation' item on the agenda. This is an allocation of 15 minutes during which any local elector can address the Council.
At this point the Chair will officially close the meeting and ask if there are any points/ comments that you would like to raise. Please note that this is not a question and answer or a debating time, rather an opportunity for you to make your views known to Council members or to bring forward new ideas which you would like councillors to discuss in the future.
Note that the meeting is in public, and if there are any members of the press in attendance, then your comments may be reported.
If possible, the Chair will give an immediate answer if he or she is able to, but the council cannot take a decision on the matter at that point. If the item is already on the agenda, then discussion on the matter and possibly a resolution will take place at that point in the meeting. (In accordance with the council’s Standing Orders no decision can be taken without prior notification on an agenda.)
It is more probable that your comments will be noted and passed onto the relevant persons/authority or that councillors agree to place the matter on the agenda of a future meeting.
Procedures at meetings
The Parish Council is governed by comprehensive 'rules', called Standing Orders, which set out everything from the notice which must be given for a meeting, the minimum number of councillors to be present, the maximum duration of each meeting, how motions are proposed , how procurement and financial controls must operate and how confidential matters should be handled. You can view the Parish Council's Standing Orders here.