FI16890
Request
- How does the Council notify/summon elected members to meetings?
- Do members receive notification electronically or by letter (on paper) or for safety by both methods?
- Are members individually asked how they wish to be notified of meetings?
- Have any meetings been found to be invalid if not all members were notified as required by law?
Response
1. Dover District Council’s Cabinet on 3 June 2024 and its full Council on 17 July 2024 agreed significant changes to how the Council issues agendas and provides notification of meetings to Members. This report can be found on the Council’s website: https://moderngov.dover.gov.uk/documents/s56784/Council%20Agendas%20Postage%20Report.pdf.
For all meetings the summons/notification/agenda are provided electronically. For those Members that request it, a paper copy of the agenda is made available for collection from the Council Offices, but the summons/notification is still also provided electronically. For the full Council agenda, a paper copy will still be posted to Members that request it, but the summons/notification again is still also provided electronically.
The relevant sections of the Constitution are as follows:
Council Procedure Rule 6
"The Proper Officer will give notice to the public of the time and place of any meeting in accordance with the Access to Information Rules. At least five clear days before a meeting, the Proper Officer will send a summons signed by him or her to every member of the Council. All Members serving on a body will receive an electronic copy of the summons and agenda unless they have requested a paper copy which will be made available for collection from the Council Offices. All Members will receive an electronic notification by e-mail. The summons will give the date, time and place of each meeting and specify the business to be transacted and will be accompanied by such reports as are available."
Leader and Executive Procedure Rules, paragraph 1.6(c)
"The Proper Officer will give notice to the public of the time and place of any meeting in accordance with the Access to Information Rules. At least five clear days before a meeting, the Proper Officer will send a summons signed by him or her to every member of the Council. All Members serving on a body will receive an electronic copy of the summons and agenda unless they have requested a paper copy which will be made available for collection from the Council Offices. All Members will receive an electronic notification by e-mail. The summons will give the date, time and place of each meeting and specify the business to be transacted and will be accompanied by such reports as are available."
2. Electronically. See the answer to question 1 in relation to the distribution of paper agendas.
3. No. All Members are automatically notified electronically (see answer to question 1). This, as per the Constitution, is not a matter of individual choice. Paper copies of agendas will be provided on request as per the Constitution (see answer to question 1). This approach it is estimated saves the Council over £50,000 per year.
4. No. All meetings have been properly notified as required. As mentioned in the answers to earlier questions, an electronic summons/notification is issued to all Members. The Council uses the Mod Gov committee management system to do this.