Agendas & Minutes

Council meetings are held on the first Monday of every month, Committee meetings are held on the fourth Monday of the month, however, these dates may be brought forward when they are affected by a Bank Holiday.

On all Council and Committee meeting agendas, a time is set aside for members of the public to be able to speak on items on the agenda only. There are rules that affect what members of the public can and cannot do and this is set out below.

In May of each year there is an Annual Parish COUNCIL meeting and an Annual PARISH meeting.

Annual Parish Meeting - Local Government Act 1972 SCHEDULE 12 Part III

There can be, and often is, confusion between the Annual Parish COUNCIL meeting and an Annual PARISH meeting.

All Parish and Town Councils throughout England are required by law to hold an Annual Parish Meeting, which must take place between 1st March and the 1st June (inclusive). Meetings should not commence before 6.00 pm.

Purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting

The meeting acts as an annual democratic point of communication enabling the Parish Council to explain what it has been doing over the last year and providing an opportunity for the electors to have their say on anything they consider is important to the people of the Parish.

Who can attend the meeting?

The Annual Parish Meeting is a meeting of all the local government electors for the Parish, which the public are entitled to attend and participate in.

Will I be able to ask questions and make suggestions?

Yes, any registered elector may ask questions of the Council, which will usually be answered by the Chairperson, the Clerk to the Council, or a designated Councillor.

An elector may also make suggestions and comment on anything relevant to the residents of Birstall.

Who will chair the meeting?

The Chairman of the Parish Council will chair the meeting or in his/her absence the Vice Chairman.

Will Parish Councillors be there?

Yes, however, the purpose of the meeting is to enable the ordinary electors to have their say. Councillors will listen with interest and as electors themselves, also have the opportunity to raise questions and make comments if they wish.

Will notes be taken of the meeting?

Yes, a written record of the meeting will be taken and presented at the next Annual Parish meeting for approval.

What else happens at the meeting?

In recent years we have invited guest speakers from local organisations, Leicestershire Constabulary and other voluntary and statutory organisations to talk about the work/activities of their group and/or present information on topics of local interest.

How long will the meeting last?

As long as need be within reason. It will depend on those speaking, generally the meeting will last no longer than 2 hours.

The quickest and easiest way to find agendas and minutes is to view our Council Meetings Calendar, here you will find all papers associated with each meeting linked to the calendar entry.

All of our documents are stored in our document management system (DMS) where you can also view our agendas and minutes. You can set the filter to select documents of interest.