Location and timing of meetings
From May 2021, the law requires that council meetings must again be held in public. Accordingly future meetings will be held in Sunningwell Village Hall at 7:30pm on the last Thursday of each month except for August and December.
Meetings are open to all local parishioners and other interested parties who are given time at the start of each meeting to raise and discuss any subject of local concern. Please read Meeting Protocol below.
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Meeting Protocol
Please take note of the following protocols which apply to public participation at meetings of Sunningwell Parish Council as specified in Standing Orders.
Within agenda item one of each Council meeting, Sunningwell Parish Council offers an opportunity for members of the public to make representations, answer questions and give evidence at a meeting which they are entitled to attend in respect of the business on the agenda.
The period of time designated for public participation at a meeting shall not exceed 30 minutes unless directed by the chairman of the meeting and within that time a member of the public shall not speak for more than 5 minutes.
A question shall not require a response at the meeting nor start a debate on the question. The chairman of the meeting may direct that a written or oral response be given.
A person shall raise his hand when requesting to speak and shall direct his comments to the chairman of the meeting.
Only one person is permitted to speak at a time. If more than one person wants to speak, the chairman of the meeting shall direct the order of speaking.
Members of the public may remain for the rest of the meeting but are not allowed to speak.
Disorderly Conduct
- No person shall obstruct the transaction of business at a meeting or behave offensively or improperly. If this standing order is ignored, the chairman of the meeting shall request such person(s) to moderate or improve their conduct.
- If person(s) disregard the request of the chairman of the meeting to moderate or improve their conduct, any councillor or the chairman of the meeting may move that the person be no longer heard or be excluded from the meeting. The motion, if seconded, shall be put to the vote without discussion.
- If a resolution as above is ignored, the chairman of the meeting may take further reasonable steps to restore order or to progress the meeting. This may include temporarily suspending or closing the meeting.
A meeting shall not exceed a period of two and a half hours.
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The current Chairman is James Salter-Carn and the Vice Chairman is Karen Laister. They were elected in 2023.