There can be, and often is, confusion between the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council. There must be one parish meeting held each year, between 1st March and the 1st June (inclusive) ie the Annual Parish Meeting. The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council is a meeting of the Parish Council which must be held in May. Because the 2 meetings are often held during the same month and, even on the same evening, the purpose and running of the 2 different meetings can become blurred.
Other parish meetings may be held during the year should the need arise.
In preparing this section the Parish Council has referred to guidance published by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).
Participation in the Public Forum by members of the public
Waddesdon Parish Council meets and makes its decisions in public and is committed to community engagement. We, therefore, invite members of the public, the press, the police and county and district councillors to attend meetings and contribute within the public forum.
A council meeting is not a public meeting, it is a meeting held in public. There is no requirement in law to provide a public forum but this council welcomes the opportunity to offer this facility.
The public is asked to respect the fact that this is a meeting to conduct council business and interruptions during council business are not permitted. If the business is disrupted in any way the person/s causing the disruption may be asked to leave.
Public participation will be for a period of fifteen minutes. Any member of the public wishing to speak should notify the Chairman prior to the start of the meeting.
The agenda will indicate when the public participation will take place. This will be early on in the agenda so that Parish Councillors may take into account any views expressed when reaching their decisions.
Public participation is only permitted regarding items already on the agenda and the matter may be addressed immediately or carried forward without discussion.
A maximum of three minutes is permitted for a member of the public to speak and only one person may speak on any agenda item. Two people may speak if opposing views are being expressed i.e. one for and one against a particular matter.
Supplementary comments or questions are solely at the discretion of the Chairman.
No question may be repeated within a 6 month period.
Guidance notes for members of the public
If several people want to speak on the same item try to get together in advance to choose the best person to speak for you all.
Participation in Public Forum by persons other than members of the public
The Parish Council will automatically provide an opportunity via the agenda for the Police and the Unitary Councillors to attend and report to meetings and respond to any questions or queries from Councillors.
To see what we discussed in previous meetings
Click here to access past Minutes and Agendas. For Agendas & Minutes prior to this date please contact the Clerk who will be able to assist you with your query.