Committees and Working Groups Revised
Role of Committees
The Parish Council has a main council committee. That can delegate some of its statutory functions (responsibilities assigned to a parish council in legislation) to one or more committees. These may in turn have sub-committees. If there’s a specific task focussed activity, then Working Groups may be setup.
Parish Council meetings are led by the Council’s (or committee) Chair (see Role of a Chair for details of what they do) and advised by a Clerk who is there to see that business is conducted within the law on how parish councils are run.
The key difference is that a committee (or sub-committee) only comprises members of the council whilst a Working Group can include other individuals. Any committee/sub-committee must hold regular open sessions, at which members of the public can speak.
Unlike Committees and Sub-Committees, Working Groups cannot have delegated responsibilities and do not have to be open to the public, however, they do have to abide by certain Parish Council Policies – See Working Group Protocol. Their findings and recommendations must be minuted and a report submitted to the Committee / Main Council to whom the council has decided they report. These reports may then be discussed at Committee level before being recommended to Main Council. The Council or the Committee can send report back to the Sub-Committee / Working Group requesting more information or clarification before accepting or rejecting the report and its contents.
When are Committees held?
There will be a published schedule of meetings, these are usually advertised by the Council’s communications lead (Clerk) on the Parish notice boards, website and Facebook page.
When are Working Groups held?
These are not subject to a published schedule of meetings and can therefore be held as frequently as required – but should be at least monthly to enable the working group to report back to Main Council monthly
Attending a Committee / Working Group
All committee/sub-committee meetings are open to the public and there is a forum before the start of the meeting at which members of the public can raise concerns and ask questions. There is also an annual meeting which all parishioners are invited to attend. All meetings are advertised on the council notice boards on the web site and typically on parish social media groups. Residents can bring to the attention of the parish council anything that concerns them, either directly or though the clerk. If matters raised are not the responsibility of the council, the clerk can bring them to the attention of the proper authority.
Working Groups may involve members of the public.
Representation on Parish Council Committees and Working Groups
All Councillors are required to attend the main meetings. They may also work on other sub-committees and working groups.
Required working groups and sub committees for the forthcoming 12 months will be decided at the full Parish Council meeting held in April and councillors given the opportunity to put themselves forward to serve on one or more committees. Councillors are also able to indicate if they are willing to act as Chair of the sub committee or working group. This information will be collated by the clerk and Representation is proposed and voted on at the annual meeting – normally held in May. The position of Chair for each sub committee or working group will be decided by vote by those serving on that group.
All Terms of Reference for all committees and working groups are published in a single pdf document. This is approved by the full Council at its annual meeting.