Parish Council Meetings

The Parish Council meetings commence at 6.30pm and all meetings of the Parish Council will be held in the Village Hall, Harewood Lane, Upton, Pontefract, WF9 1JB. Please also ready the following regarding a democratic public session which the Parish Council hold before its statutory monthly meetings.

Public Session

Please note:  Parish Council meetings may be filmed and voice recorded.

Democratic 15 minutes/Public Question Time: Electors are invited to give their views and question the Parish Council on issues on this Agenda, or raise issues for future consideration at the discretion of the Chairman, before the start of the Parish Council Meeting. Members of the public may not take part in the Parish Council meeting itself. A Councillor with a prejudicial interest in a particular issue may address the Council on the issue during public question time subject to the Councillor leaving the room in the event of an exchange of the issue between the public and the Council during public question time.

PROTOCOL FOR THE PUBLIC SESSION AT FULL COUNCIL MEETING
1. Questions must be relevant to the work of the Council.

2. The Chairman may reject a question if:

• It is about a matter for which the Council does not have responsibility, or which does not affect the area.
• It is defamatory, frivolous, or is an attack on or insult to an individual councillor or councillors.
• It is substantially the same as a question which has been put at a meeting of the Council in the previous six months.
• The questioner has already asked the question of the Parish Council either by letter, email or phone call and has received a written reply.

3. The total time allocated to questions and answers shall not exceed 15 minutes (in accordance with the Parish Councils current Standing Orders) unless the Chairman in his/her discretion extends that time for the purpose of hearing an answer to the last question put before the expiry of such period of 15 minutes.

4. Unless the Chairman decides otherwise, no discussion will take place on any question and replies to question will be in writing.

Please note:  Parish Council draft minutes will be made available on the website for public viewing shortly after the meeting has taken place.