Public involvement in meetings is welcomed and can be achieved in the following ways:
Members of the public can attend all Council Meetings
Members of the public can attend meetings of Council, Cabinet, Scrutiny, Planning, Licensing, Audit, Democratic Services and Standards Committee, except where confidential or exempt information is likely to be disclosed.
Members of the public can view Council documents
Members of the public can see the agendas to meetings and background papers for all of the meetings mentioned above and, where appropriate, see any records of decisions made, except where confidential or exempt information is likely to be disclosed. All available documents can be seen in the Committee Directory.
Members of the public can watch meetings online
The council broadcasts some Council, Cabinet, Scrutiny and Regulatory meetings on the internet.
You can watch live meetings and download relevant documents such as reports, plans or presentations. Recordings are available to watch free of charge. You can view them live or alternatively you can catch up on past meetings using the
Members of the public can speak at some Council meetings
Members of the public may attend meetings of the Planning Committee and speak if they have objected in writing to a planning application that is being considered. Members of the public may speak at Licensing Panel Hearings if they have objected in writing to a Licensing application that is being considered. Members of the public may also speak at Scrutiny meetings, but only by invitation of the Chair.
Members of the public can view Work Programmes
Members of the public can inspect the forward work programmes of Committees. Scrutiny Committees may invite people and organisations to comment on the way things are currently done and how things can be improved. One of the biggest challenges for scrutiny committees is to obtain more interest in the process, by demonstrating that effective scrutiny can make a difference.
Scrutiny Forward Work Programme
- Corporate & Performance Scrutiny Forward Work Programme
- People Scrutiny Forward Work Programme
- Place Scrutiny Forward Work Programme
- Partnerships Scrutiny Forward Work Programme
Cabinet FWP
- Cabinet Forward Work Programme
Council FWP
- Council Forward Work programme
Members of the public may ask questions at Council meetings
Members of the public may ask questions of Members of the Council at ordinary meetings of the Council. A question may only be asked if notice has been given by delivering it in writing or by electronic mail to the Chief Executive no later than midday, three working days before the day of the meeting. Each question must give the name and address of the questioner. At any one meeting no person may submit more than one question and no more than one such question may be asked on behalf of one organisation.
Any question which cannot be dealt with during the meeting will be dealt with by a written answer.
For further information about public involvement in meetings in Blaenau Gwent please contact the Head of Democratic Services on committee.services@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk
Members of the public may submit petitions at Council meetings
The Council has a Petitions Protocol that can be used when there are circumstances where the public feel strongly about an issue and they wish to directly communicate their views to the Council through a petition.
Before submitting a petition, you should first check with your local councillor or with the Council to see if they are already acting on your concerns and that the Council is the most appropriate body to receive your petition, as sometimes your petition may be more appropriate for consideration by another public body.
Petitions Protocol
You can send petitions electronically to:-
committee.services@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk
or present petitions to:-
The Head of Democratic Services
果冻传媒app
General Offices
Steelworks Road
Ebbw Vale
NP23 6AA
or contact the Democratic Services Section on 01495 356139 to make arrangements to hand in a petition.
Governance and Audit Committees
Appointment of Lay Person
Local authorities across Wales are currently looking to appoint Lay Persons to their Governance and Audit Committees.
These statutory committees are a key component of a Local Authority鈥檚 governance framework and improvement programme. The purpose of the Governance and Audit Committee is to provide independent assurance on the adequacy and effectiveness of the risk management framework, internal control environment, performance assessment, complaints handling and integrity of the financial reporting and governance processes. By overseeing both internal and external audit it makes an important contribution to ensuring that effective assurance arrangements are in place.
Many local authorities are considering using remote meetings for their Governance and Audit Committees moving forward. This makes Lay Person participation within Governance and Audit Committees easier.
Committees meet several times a year for which Lay Persons (Independent Members) receive financial remuneration.
Remuneration is paid in accordance with the rates determined by the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales, see attached report
- Application forms to be forwarded to Louise.Rosser@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk