i. Public participation

Meetings must generally be held in public (see article a - Model Council), but this does not mean they are public meetings. The public should be seated in a separate area to the Council, but able to see and hear the proceedings. 

It is good practice for councils to set aside a defined period (often 15 mins.) for public participation (PP), during which they can make statements or ask questions. Each member of the public is normally restricted by standing orders to speaking a maximum of three minutes.   

The PP session is part of the actual meeting. It should not be held before or after the meeting , or part-way through the agenda with the meeting being 'closed' and then resumed after the PP  - these are old practices and do not conform to current advice.

Standing Order 3 provide a sound basis on which to structure PP sessions. 

Public involvement can be limited to those items on the agenda,  although some councils allow members of the public to raise other items of concern or interest.

While Councils should limit the duration of a formal PP session, there is no reason why comment cannot be sought from a member of the public during the other parts of the meeting should it be considered appropriate. This should be used sparingly and controlled by the Chair.

The  minutes of the meeting should record that a PP session took place, and the issues raised. Care should be taken not to identify members of the public attending or to disclose any personal data.

N.B. NALC have issued an advice note on their website - Parish council meetings (England).  [To access the NALC website you will need to set up an individual account (SALC members only).  Video guidance on how to do this is available here - https://youtu.be/zapNDmP8jjY?si=jtXhLh0Wm5ANHrO4]