Stondon Parish Council ordinarily meets on the last Wednesday of a full week of each month (except August and December) at 7.30 pm at the Stondon Community Centre, The Pastures. Meeting Agendas are available online and upon request to the Parish Clerk.
Dates and location of the meeting must be displayed in a public place, at least 3 clear days before an ordinary meeting.
All residents of Stondon parish are welcome to attend meetings of the Council to observe the proceedings.
The Council provide an opportunity at the beginning of every ordinary meeting for residents to ask questions of the Council or make a statement to the Council, prior to the commencement of its business at that meeting. The time limit for this is normally 10 minutes. There is no legal requirement to allow this.
Guidance on Public Participation at Parish Council Meetings
Please remember when making any comment that a Council Meeting is a public meeting for which minutes are produced and published. Members of the public cannot take part in the actual business of a council meeting and are asked not to interrupt the proceedings. The following is a general guide.
Welcome to the meeting leaflet (opens in new tab)
Link to more information on Public ParticipationAnnual Parish Council Meeting
At the Annual Parish Council Meeting a new chair person must be nominated. A vice-chairman may be nominated also and appointments to committees made. In an election year the Annual Parish Council Meeting must take place on the day when councillors take office, or within 14 days thereafter.
The Agenda sets out the business of each meeting. The Clerk should display a signed agenda, in a public place, at least 3 clear days before an ordinary meeting and send a copy to all members of the Council.
The purpose of an Agenda is for Councillors and the public to know what issues will be discussed and voted on. A Council cannot lawfully make decisions on anything that is not on the agenda.
If any of the regular meeting dates have to be changed, notice will be given by the Council on the website and relevant Parish Council notice boards.
If there is a matter that you think the Council should discuss, please contact the Clerk or a Councillor, and ask that it be put on the Agenda for the next meeting. Agendas are usually prepared 9 days before the meeting to which they relate so make sure that you ask in good time. Meeting agendas are published on the website and noticeboard at the Community Centre 3 clear days before a meeting.
Meetings will last a maximum of 2 ½ hours, so if a meeting already has a full agenda, some items may be deferred for discussion to a subsequent meeting, so that a proper and full time allowance can be made for discussion of the item.
Meeting dates are available here. If a matter cannot be discussed at a meeting you will be given an explanation at the meeting.
[ai1ec view=”agenda” cat_name=”Parish Council Meetings” events_limit=”1″]Place of meeting
Parish Council meetings often take place in a community venue, such as a Village Hall, Community Centre or Church Hall. Meetings must not take place in licensed premises unless no other room is available free of charge or at a reasonable rate. It is not advisable to meet in a private home – it may deter members of the public from attending or may not be large enough to house public and press numbers.
Attendance at meetings
- In order for meetings to be quorate one third of council members, or 3, whichever is greater, must be present.
- Attendance and apologies, with reasons for absence, must be recorded.
- A councillor is disqualified if s/he does not attend a meeting in 6 months and his/her long-term absence has not been agreed upon by a full parish council meeting.
- If a councillor is late or leaves early, a record should be made if this affects quorum.
- Parish council meetings must be open to the public and press. However, they may be excluded for part of the meeting if the council resolves that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest, or for other special reasons stated in the resolution.
Decision making
All matters coming before a council must be decided upon by a majority of councillors present and voting. Each councillor has one vote and must vote in person. (Councillors who have been disqualified by declaring a prejudicial interest will not vote). In addition , the Chair has the casting vote if it is required.
Correspondence
For reasons of natural justice and practical difficulties, the Council does not list correspondence in the minutes. Nor will it deal with anonymous correspondence or comments from social media, unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Clerk will consult with the Council on any correspondence and decide if it should be discussed at a meeting.
If you would like to raise an issue with the Council please raise it in the first instance with the Clerk. We avoid mentioning personal contact information at a meeting, unless relevant.
Central Bedfordshire Councillors
The local members of Central Bedfordshire Council (Arlesey Ward) are invited to all Council meeting. Additionally, the various departments and officer representatives of Central Bedfordshire Council often attend meetings and will listen to comments/requests from The Council and parishioners that are made during the meetings. They will often respond to the Parish Council as representatives of local residents. If you have issues with those authorities, and feel we can help with your problem please let us know through the Parish Clerk.
The Parish Councillors and Clerk are regularly invited to attend various workshops and consultation meetings with other organisations & authorities in order to maintain their awareness of proposals and legislation that may affect the community. As the members of the Parish Council are volunteers they do this in their own personal time. Any member expenses have to be approved by the council.
Stondon Parish Council works with Central Bedfordshire Council on a broad range of matters including Roads, Footpaths, Planning Applications, Litter Bins and Street Cleansing, but has very limited powers to act.
Link to more information on Public ParticipationStondon Parish Council is also a member of NALC – National Association of Local Councils.