Public meetings

Public meetings

Most committee meetings are open to the public to attend. This section explains:

• the procedure of attending meetings and how to access reports and information
• how to submit a question to a meeting of the full Council
• the procedure for speaking at a meeting

Meeting dates, agenda, reports and minutes can be accessed on the relevant Council Meetings page:

Agendas and reports until 30 April 2023

Agendas and reports from 01 May 2023

Large print versions of Council agendas can be requested in advance of the meeting from the Committee Team at committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk

Unless otherwise stated, meetings commence at 7.30pm and are held at Three Rivers House in Rickmansworth.

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.

Agendas and reports until 30 April 2023

Agendas and reports from 01 May 2023

Supply of copies

The Council will supply copies of:

• any agenda and reports which are open to public inspection
• any further statements or particulars necessary to indicate the nature of the items in the agenda, and
• 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.

Find out more

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.

Submit a question

The rules for submitting a question to a Council meeting are as follows:

(1) At any ordinary meeting of the Council, a member of the public may ask a question which is relevant to some matter in relation to which the Authority has functions, or which affects the area of the Authority or part of it, or the inhabitants of that area or some of them.

(2) Questions must be submitted in writing to the Chief Executive 8 working days before the publication of the agenda. They should be addressed to The Committee Team, Three Rivers District Council, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth WD3 1RL or they can be e-mailed to committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk

(3) The Council Chair will determine which questions are to be accepted for answers at Council and which will be dealt with in other ways following consultation with the Leader, and relevant Lead Member. The Chief Executive will notify intending questioners whether or not their question has been selected. All questions will be included on the agenda for Council along with the written response. The agenda will also indicate how questions not being dealt with at Council will be progressed.

(4) A maximum of five questions will be allowed at each meeting. Only one question can be asked by each member of the public. Questioners may put their question themselves or ask that it be read out by the Chair. With the Chair's permission, the questioner may ask a supplementary question about the answer.

(5) Answers will be given by the Leader or by the Lead Member or by a Member nominated by the Leader/relevant Committee Chairs if that Member agrees. An answer may be:-

• an oral answer lasting no more than three minutes; or
• where the desired information is contained in a publication of the Council, a reference to that publication; or
• where the information required can more conveniently be given in writing, a written answer; or
• a combination of the above.

(6) Except in extraordinary circumstances notified to the Chair of Council prior to the meeting, other members of the public may not ask supplementary questions.

Speaking at meetings

Members of the public wishing to address a Committee or Sub-Committee on Part I reports contained within the agenda for the meeting shall be given the opportunity to do so subject to:-

• the opportunity being extended to one person to speak in support of each agenda item and one person to speak against each agenda item when called to do so by the Chairman;
• an indication of the desire to speak on the agenda item being made by the person wishing to address the Committee or Sub-Committee just prior to the meeting and the name supplied to the Committee Manager in attendance (by means of the register), the first person registering to have precedence in the event of more than one person wishing to speak either for or against the agenda item;
• each person addressing the Committee or Sub-Committee being limited to three minutes’ speech;
• an opportunity being provided for an expression of a contrary view, even though no prior notice has been given, when a member of the public has spoken for or against the item;
• in the event of the person having registered to speak on an agenda item not wishing to take up their right to speak on the agenda item because it was deferred, that person will automatically be given the right to speak on the agenda item at the next meeting of the Committee or Sub-Committee;
• the Chairman of the meeting having discretion to rule that a person wishing to address the meeting shall not be heard if, in his/her opinion, that issue or the organisation or the person wishing to make representation on that issue has received an adequate hearing.

Licensing Sub-Committee

Specific rules apply for attendance at meetings of the Licensing Sub-Committee under the Licensing Act 2003.

Find out more