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.

The key difference is that a Committee (or sub-committee) 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 Their findings and recommendations must be minuted and a report submitted to the Committee to whom the council has decided they report. These reports are then 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’s a published schedule of meeting, these are usually advertised on the Parish council website and social media

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.