In May of each
year, the Leader of the Council appoints Councillors to the
Executive. The Council's Executive is
currently made up of six Borough Councillors.
The Executive is
accountable for decision-making within the Council's overall
policies and budget framework and recommends to the Council on new
policies and decisions outside its remit, ensuring the consistent
application of corporate standards.
The Executive meets
at such times as determined by the Leader. The meetings are held at
7.00 pm on a Thursday and in the Council Chamber of the Civic
Offices. All meetings are open to the public to attend, except on
the rare occasion when items of a personal or confidential matter
are due to be considered.
The Leader of the
Council
The Leader of the
Council is elected at its post-election annual meeting. The term of office of the Leader starts on the day
of his/her election as Leader and ends on the day the Council holds
its first annual meeting after the Leader’s normal day of
retirement as a Councillor unless he/she:
a. resigns
as Leader;
b. is
suspended from being a Councillor;
c. is no
longer a Councillor; and
d. is
removed from office by resolution of Council.
The current Leader
of the Council is Councillor Ann-Marie Barker.
Question time at the
Executive
A public question time takes place at
each of the meetings of the Executive during the year. Under the
scheme, thirty minutes is set aside at the start of the meetings to
allow anyone living or working in the Borough to ask up to three
questions of a particular member of the Executive or to the
Leader.
Questions need to be submitted in
writing (by letter or e-mail) to the Chief Executive no later than
12 noon seven days before the day of the meeting. Questions can also be submitted online using this
link – ask a
question at a public meeting.
The questions are first received by the
Chief Executive who may reject a question if it:
·
Concerns an issue for which the Council
has no responsibility or does not affect the Borough.
·
Is defamatory, frivolous or
offensive.
·
Requires the disclosure of confidential
information.
The Chief Executive will enter each
question in a book which can be viewed by members of the public. A
copy of the question(s) will be sent to the Leader of the Council
and the Councillor to whom the question has been put. If no
particular Councillor is specified, the question will be put to the
Leader. Rejected questions will also be recorded with a reason for
the rejection.
What happens next?
Individuals who have raised a question
will be invited to the meeting of the Executive and will be asked
by the Leader to pose the question to the relevant Councillor. If
the individual is not able to attend the meeting, the Leader can be
asked to raise the question on their behalf. The Leader may then
decide whether to ask the question, provide a written reply or
decide that the question will not be dealt with in the absence of
the individual.
Anyone who accepts the invitation to
ask their question in person at the meeting can also ask one
additional related question without notice. In the event that there
isn't enough time during public question time to answer all
questions, the Executive will respond in writing.
For further information, please contact
Member Services on 01483 743863, email member.services@woking.gov.uk,
or visit
Public questions at council meetings | Woking Borough
Council