Taking part in the democratic process
How you can have your say
You can have your say by organising a Petition to be submitted to the relevant Cabinet Member, or request a Deputation which allows you to address a Cabinet or Scrutinyl Committee meeting in person.
Public questions are also encouraged to be submitted for Full Council meetings. You may also attend a Scrutiny Committee to make an oral contribution in person at the Chairman's discretion.
Petitions
Petitions are a well-used method of getting your views across. Any Petition that is signed by at least ten people who are on the electoral roll is eligible for consideration.
The Petition should be sent to the Chief Executive or Assistant Chief Executive for referral to the relevant Cabinet Member (the Leader of the Council, Deputy Leader or one of the six Cabinet Members). The Cabinet Member will consider the Petition and, if necessary, arrange for appropriate action to be taken. The lead petitioner (usually the first person to sign the petition) will be kept informed.
Deputations
You are welcome to arrange a Deputation. This is an opportunity to address the relevant committee or panel. You can bring a Deputation to:
- Cabinet: to speak on agenda items. The agenda is normally published two weeks before the meeting. An invitation to submit a request to bring a Deputation is printed on the front of the agenda. Items due to appear before the Cabinet will also appear on the Forward Plan up to four months before the Cabinet meeting.
- Scrutiny Committees: to speak on any item of business within the Committee's terms of reference. You may only bring a Deputation on the same issue once every six months.
- Traffic Management Advisory Panel: to speak on any item of business within the terms of reference. This panel also has a six-month rule preventing repeated Deputations.
Request for deputations to Scrutiny Comittees and the Traffic Management Advisory Panel must be submitted at least 10 working days before the relevant meeting. In the case of the Cabinet, they must be received within 5 working days of the publication of the agenda (which is normally 10 working days before the meeting). The deputation request must be submitted to the Head of Councillors' Service (Rom 202, Hammersmith Town Hall - King Street, London W6 9JU).
A request for a deputation must be made in writing and signed by a t least 10 registered electors of the Borough. The request should state the purpose of the deputation and the name and address of each of the signatures.
Public Questions to Full Council
A member of the public who lives, works, or is being educated in the Borough, may ask the Leader or a Cabinet Member one question (and one supplementary on his/her reply) on any matter relating to the discharge of the Council's functions. The question must be in writing and submitted to the Assistant Chief Executive (or the Head of Legal Services) at least 7 clear days before the day of the Council Meeting. Questions which, in the opinion of the Mayor, are defamatory or unsuitable in form, frivolous or derogatory shall not be accepted.
Replies to questions shall be oral. If the questioner is not present when the question is called at the meeting, a written reply shall be provided. However, persons questioned may decline to reply, if in their opinion, questions involve an excessive and unnecessary amount of time on the part of officers in collating or preparing the information required. If a question does not receive a reply within the time allowed for the public session, the Leader or Cabinet member shall provide a written reply to the questioner. All public questions and the reply given by the Leader or Cabinet member shall be recorded in the Minutes of the Council. No public questions may be asked at the Annual Council meeting.
Direct involvement on Scrutiny Committees:
Our Scrutiny Committees encourage public participation. You can take part in a number of ways:
Attendance:
All Scrutiny Committees are open to the public (except on very limited occasions when they are considering confidential information). Meetings normally start at 7pm at Hammersmith Town Hall. You are welcome to attend and contribute to the discussion, subject to general rules of debate and the Chairman's discretion.
Co-opted members:
Members of the public can be appointed as co-opted members of a Scrutiny Committee subject to certain provisions. There are six Scrutiny Committees mostly meeting eight times a year.
Expert witnesses:
You may have local or special knowledge which would be of use to Scrutiny Committees in their deliberations on specific topics. You could be invited to participate for discussion of this one item.
Select Committee style inquiries:
From time to time, Scrutiny Committees undertake these in-depth inquiries. These involve a great deal of data-gathering. They are well-publicised and if you have something to share, you are welcome to do so.
Other public meetings:
There are a number of other public meetings that you are welcome to attend. These include:
- Full Council Meetings where strategic plans and programmes are considered and approved, and public questions heard.
- Planning Applications Committee where planning applications are considered (although the public do not have a right to address the Committee- only local Ward Councillors).
- Licensing Committee which deal with pub and entertainment licences. Public objectors do have a right to speak and address the Committee with their concerns.
For more information about any aspect of participating in the democratic process, please contact:
Kayode Adewumi
Head of Councillors' Services
kayode.adewumi@lbhf.gov.uk
