Attending Meetings

These rules apply to all meetings of the Council, Committees or Sub Committees.

Rights to attend meetings

Members of the public may attend all meetings subject only to the exceptions in these rules.

Notices of meeting

The Council will give at least five clear days notice of any meeting by posting details of the meeting at the District Council Offices:

Three Rivers House
Northway
Rickmansworth
Herts
WD3 1RL

Access to agenda and reports before the meeting

The Council will make copies of the agenda and reports which are open to the public available for inspection at the Designated Office at least five clear days before the meeting. If an item is added to the agenda later, the revised agenda (where reports are prepared after the summons has been sent out, the designated officer shall make each such report available to the public as soon as the report is completed and sent to councillors) will be open to inspection from the time the item was added to the agenda.  Copies of agenda and reports are also published on the relevant Council Meeting page on this website.

Supply of copies

The Council will supply copies of:

(a)  any agenda and reports which are open to public inspection
(b)  any further statements or particulars necessary to indicate the nature of the items in the agenda, and
(c)  if the Chief Executive thinks fit, copies of any other documents supplied to councillors in connection with an item to any person on payment of a charge for postage and any other costs.

Access to minutes after the meeting

The Council will make available copies of the following after a meeting:

(a)  the minutes of the meeting (or records of decisions taken, together with reasons), excluding any part of the minutes of proceedings when the meeting was not open to the public or which disclose exempt or confidential information
(b)  a summary of any proceedings not open to the public where the minutes open to inspection would not provide a reasonably fair and coherent record without disclosing the exempt information

For six years following a meeting, the Council will also make available:

(a)  the agenda for the meeting
(b)  reports relating to items when the meeting was open to the public.

Background Papers

A list of documents (called background papers) relating to the subject matter of the report which:

(a)  disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based and/or 
(b)  have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report but does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information will be set out in every report.

The Council will make available for public inspection for four years after the date of the meeting one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers.

Licensing Sub-Committee

Specific rules apply for attendance at meetings of the Licensing Sub-Committee under the Licensing Act 2003 as detailed in the Making representations/objections to licensing applications guidance

Exclusion of access by the public to meetings

Confidential information - requirement to exclude public

The public must be excluded from meetings whenever it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that Confidential Information would be disclosed.

Meaning of confidential information

Confidential information means information given to the Council by a Government Department on terms which forbid its public disclosure or information which cannot be publicly disclosed by Court Order.

Exempt information - discretion to exclude public

The public may be excluded from meetings whenever it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that exempt information would be disclosed.