Public able to speak at more council meetings
PEOPLE in Rhondda Cynon Taff will soon be able to speak at more council meetings.
An official policy to allow a maximum of two members of the public who live or work in RCT to speak on each item discussed at council scrutiny committees was approved last week.
The council’s overview and scrutiny committee backed the plans, which were put forward after a member of the public expressed a wish to speak to a scrutiny committee in February, which they were allowed to do, but then didn’t turn up. After this, the council realised that there was no official protocol in place to allow members of the public to speak at scrutiny committees as there is at planning committees.
The officer who presented the report said the aim is to increase public engagement in the scrutiny process and that the chair of the committee will have discretion over manag- ing the debate, including the ability to let someone speak who doesn’t live in Rhondda Cynon Taff but may have an interest in the area.
Councillor Mark Adams, Labour, chair of the overview and scrutiny committee, said: “This is a brand-new protocol. We will learn as we go along.
“We might not get it right straight away. We’ve put the protocol in place so everyone knows where they are.
“The document can change. It is a moving, living document.”
Councillor Pauline Jarman, Plaid Cymru, said: “I am pleased to see public engagement.” But she suggested that the first thing that needs to be done is to ensure the scru- tiny website pages are filled every week with every item the committees are going to consider and to make it more eye-catching.
She said: “The conduct of the chair will decide debate.”
But she also raised the point that the rule about avoiding repetition from members of the public will not be realistic because they could have people attending from the length and breadth of the county borough who don’t know each other.
The officer came back and said: “We don’t want to straitjacket ourselves.”
“We want something that would allow a productive outcome from dialogue.
“A ‘wait and see’ approach might be best. We are looking for common sense.”
Councillor Lyndon Walker, Independent, said he wanted to see call-ins included in the protocol because they are also a form of scrutiny.
Councillor Alun Cox, Plaid Cymru, said: “If we are serious about increasing engagement, some of the way it is outlined would need to be looked at.
“It may put people off before they get to the point of trying.”
Other points raised include what they might do about prejudicial interests. The officer responded by saying members have to declare these because they are making decisions, whereas a member of the public speaking on an issue will by definition have an interest.
Councillor Joel James, Conservative, raised the point that there may be no-one who wants to speak and Councillor Michael Powell, Liberal Democrat, said there may be times when too many people wanted to speak.
Councillor Richard Yeo, Labour, said not everything they discuss will draw big crowds and members were also told that if more than two people wanted to speak on an item, written representations would be accepted.
Cllr Adams said: “This is about making sure the outcomes are right for the residents of RCT.”
The committee approved the protocol, but were assured that changes could be made if certain aspects were found to not be working.