Public speaking at council meetings
How to get involved at council meetings
There are a number of ways you can contribute at council meetings.
Public questions at full council meetings
We have a public question time scheme which allows the public to put questions to the appropriate member of cabinet at full council meetings subject to details of the question being submitted in writing five clear working days before the meeting.
Anyone who lives in North East Lincolnshire may ask questions of members of the cabinet at ordinary meetings of the Council. A period of up to 15 minutes at the beginning of each meeting shall be allowed for questions to be put.
Each question must give the name and address of the questioner and must specify the member of the cabinet either by name or portfolio to whom it is to be put.
To submit a question complete our Public question time at council meetings form.
Alternatively, questions may be submitted in writing , addressed to the Chief Executive, North East Lincolnshire Council, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, DN31 1HU.
No more than two questions may be asked by any one person at any meeting.
The Chief Executive shall be solely responsible for the selection of questions to be answered. Any question may be edited by the Chief Executive to bring into proper form and to secure reasonable brevity.
The minutes of the meeting will record the details of the questions that have been asked and by whom, together with the answers given.
If the person asking the question is present at the meeting s/he shall be given the opportunity of putting the question and the relevant cabinet member shall respond. The questioner shall also be given the answer in writing.
If the person asking the question is not present at the meeting the question and answer shall be circulated in writing to members and sent to the questioner.
Neither the questions submitted or the responses given shall be the subject of debate.
Public questions at scrutiny meetings
Any person who lives in North East Lincolnshire can ask a scrutiny panel any question relating to the remit of that panel.
The question has to be submitted in writing to the Deputy Chief Executive (in their role as statutory scrutiny officer) at the Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, no later than five working days before the date of the relevant scrutiny panel.
The Deputy Chief Executive will be responsible for confirming which scrutiny panel the question will go to. The Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the monitoring officer, shall be responsible for deciding the extent to which the answer to a question should reveal information which is exempt information within the meaning of schedule 12A of the local government act 1972.
Public questions will appear as an agenda item (as the first agenda item after apologies and declarations of interest) for the relevant scrutiny panel, as and when there are questions.
The agenda item on public questions will not exceed 15 minutes in total, with three minutes allocated to each individual question.
If the person asking the question is present at the meeting, they shall be given the opportunity of putting the question to the panel and will receive a copy of the response in writing after the meeting. The person asking the question needs to be made aware that it may not be possible to provide a full response at the meeting, as it may depend on the panel or a partner organisation (for example one of the NHS Trusts) reviewing the issue in greater detail, or referring the matter to the relevant portfolio holder or officer before a final response is provided.
If the person asking the question is not present at the meeting, they will be sent a copy of the response to their question in writing
No more than two questions may be asked by any one person at the meeting.
Questions and answers shall not be the subject of debate by the panel unless the panel Chair, on advice from the legal representative, considers it to be appropriate and necessary.
Questions and summarised answers will be included in the minutes of the meeting.
Having your say at a planning committee
Applicants, their agents or members of the public may attend the Council’s planning committee and speak for a limited time on any planning proposal in which they have an interest.
If you wish to speak at a planning committee meeting, please complete our Request to speak at a planning committee form.
Contact details
Democratic Services, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01472 324121
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, except bank holidays