Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Protocols for questions and attendance at Council meetings

Members of the public are very welcome to attend for the vast majority of business, except when the meetings are considering items classed as exempt. If you would like to attend a meeting, you are advised to contact out Democratic Services team to confirm details.

For further information on asking questions and attending meetings, please refer to the document "Guide for members of the public attending Council meetings" under the Additional Resources section at the bottom of this page

The Council's new Constitution allows members of the public to ask questions of Cabinet Members at ordinary meetings of the Council.
Questions must be received at least five working days before the day of the meeting in writing. In certain circumstances the Mayor may allow questions at shorter notice. Questions must include the name and address of the questioner and contact details and, if known, the name the Member to whom the question is to be put. No person may submit more than two questions and no more than two questions may be asked on behalf of one organisation at any one meeting.

A question may be rejected if it -

• is not about a matter for which the Council has a responsibility or which affects the Borough
• is defamatory, frivolous or offensive
• is substantially the same as a question which has been put at a meeting of the Council in the past six months; or
• requires the disclosure of confidential or exempt information

You can ask a question by selecting the "Submit a Question for Public Question Time Form" link or print off the "Public Question Time Form & Procedure" Word document (both found under the Additional Resources heading below), fill it in, and then return it to: Director of Law & Democracy Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council P.O. Box 11 Municipal Buildings Church Road Stockton-on-Tees TS18 1LD.

To help you choose which Cabinet Member you wish to direct your question to, the "Cabinet Members Portfolio" document gives a breakdown of each Cabinet Member's areas of responsibility.

Questioners will be contacted to confirm whether their questions have been accepted or not.

At the meeting the Mayor will invite the questioner to put the question to the Member named. If a questioner is unable to be present, the Mayor can be asked to put the question on his/her behalf and arrange a written reply. A questioner may ask one supplementary question without notice being given which must arise out of the original question or reply. Any question which cannot be dealt with during public question time either because of lack of time or because of the non attendance of the Member to whom it was put or for other reasons will be dealt with by a written answer.  The total number of questions which may be asked and the length of time allowed for questions at each meeting is at the discretion of the Mayor.

If you need any further advice or information, please contact the Democratic Services Unit.