Scrutiny Committee Questions

How a member of the public can ask a question at a Scrutiny Committee

Exeter City Council

Members of the public may put questions directly to one of the three Scrutiny Committees - Resources, Community or Economy.

A period of 15 minutes will be allowed at the beginning of each Scrutiny Committee to deal with questions.

General

Members of the public who are registered electors within the city may ask questions which will be answered by the councillor who is responsible for that particular service area (known as the portfolio holder) or the Chair of the committee.

Order of questions

Questions will be asked in the order in which notice was received but the Chair may group together similar questions.

Notice of questions

A question may only be asked if notice has been given by submitting it to the Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support no later than midday, three working days before the day of the meeting.  Each question must give the name and address of the questioner.  You may send your question to:

Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support
Exeter City Council
Paris Street
Exeter
EX1 1JN

Alternatively, if you prefer to use email, please send your question to howard.bassett@exeter.gov.uk (Scrutiny Committee - Community), sharon.sissons@exeter.gov.uk (Scrutiny Committee - Economy) or sarah.selway@exeter.gov.uk (Scrutiny Committee - Resources).  Questions can be accepted verbally but we will need to confirm these to you in writing.

Number of questions

At any one meeting no person may submit more than one question and no more than one question may be asked on behalf of an organisation.

Scope of questions

The question must relate to a matter to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the City.

The Corporate Manager Democratic & Civic Support in consultation with the Chair of the Committee may reject a question if it:

• is not about a matter for which the local authority has a responsibility or which affects the City
• is defamatory, frivolous or offensive
• is substantially the same as a question which has been put to a meeting of a Scrutiny Committee in the past six months
• requires the disclosure of confidential information

Record of questions

When a question is accepted, a copy will be sent to the Chair and the councillor to whom it is to be put if that is not the Chair.  The person submitting the question will be advised that it has been accepted and when and where it may be asked.  If the question is rejected the reasons for this will be given.

Copies of all questions will be circulated to all members of the Scrutiny Committee and will be made available to the public attending the meeting.

Asking the question at the meeting

The Chair will invite the questioner to put the question to the member named in the notice.  The questioner must not deviate from the wording of the question submitted.  The Chair has the right to refuse the question if it is changed in any way. The questioner will have the opportunity to respond for a maximum of two minutes.

If a questioner who has submitted a written question is unable to be present, they may ask the Chair to put the question on their behalf.  The Chair may ask the question on the questioner's behalf and indicate how it will be dealt with.

If a questioner submits a question of a similar nature to one previously asked in the previous six months, they will be sent a copy of the answer to that earlier question.

Response to questions

The question may be dealt with in the following ways:-

• verbal response made at the meeting;
  or
• an officer will be asked to respond to the questioner in writing with a copy being sent to all Scrutiny Committee members;
  or
• the Committee may debate the issue for up to ten minutes at the end of which the Committee may decide to place the item on the agenda for a future meeting for further consideration and request a written report on the matter.