Council

Council - further information

All 36 Councillors and the Elected Mayor attend Council. At these meetings the budget and policy framework for Watford Borough Council are set. It is an opportunity for the important issues of the town to be debated.

If you address a meeting, your name and the contents of your submission will be recorded in the minutes and on the council’s YouTube channel, both of which are a permanent and public record. 

There are two opportunities for members of the public to speak:

Questions by a member of the public

  • any resident or local government elector in the borough may put a question to the Mayor, Executive or Chairs of the Committee
  • name and address of the questioner and the content of the question has to be sent to the Head of Democracy and Governance at least seven clear working days before the meeting (usually 2 Thursdays before the meeting).
  • one question permitted per person
  • no more than three questions on behalf of an organisation
  • the Head of Democracy and Governance may reject a question if it is not considered appropriate
  • with the agreement of the Chairman, a supplementary question may be put to the member
  • a written response will be sent after the meeting
  • Council will not discuss the question
  • public questions are not included on the agenda at Annual Council (usually held in May) or the budget setting Council (usually held in January)

Petitions

  • the petition must contain at least 30 signatures from residents of the borough
  • it must be received at least two working days before the Council agenda is published (ie at least seven clear working days - usually 2 Thursdays before the meeting.)
  • it is possible to do an online petition
  • an acknowledgement will be sent within 10 working days of receipt of the petition
  • the acknowledgement will confirm what action the council intends to take
  • the petition organiser has five minutes to present the petition to Council
  • Council will then discuss the petition for a maximum of 15 minutes
  • after the meeting written confirmation of any action will be sent to the petition organiser
  • the petition and confirmed action will be published on the council's website

Visit the petitions page on this site for more information and to view the petitions register.

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