You are able to address, comment, ask questions or submit a petition at meetings of the Executive, the council and its committees (excluding the Planning Committee and the Overview and Scrutiny Committees as they have their own arrangements for consulting with the public) prior to the passing of a resolution to exclude the public.  In addition to this, Members of the public are not permitted to speak at our Standards Committee meetings although you would be welcome to attend.

If you wish to question or comment upon the conduct of individual officers or elected councillors or upon procedural matters this should be done through the Council's complaints procedure. 

Requirements

• For meetings commencing at 7pm you must give written notice to the Member Services section by 10am on the day of the meeting.  If the meeting starts before 7pm you must provide written notice to Member Services by 10am on the day before the meeting.
• You must be a resident of the borough.

What will happen at the meeting?

• At the meeting you must sit in the public area and will be invited to speak by the chairman at the appropriate time at the meeting
• Your address, comments or question must relate to an item on the meeting agenda and will be limited to three minutes
• You will not be allowed to enter into any debate
• In exceptional cases (relating to matters on which the Executive, the council or its committees are required to act in a quasi judicial manner) it will not be possible to allow an address, make comments or ask questions
• The Mayor (or Chairman) has overall responsibility for the smooth running of the meeting and has the final decision on procedural matters.

Application to speak at a council meeting

Where can I find out dates of meetings? 

A full list of meeting dates are available, or you can contact Member Services on 01233 330564, email Member Services or write to us at:

Member Services

Ashford Borough Council

Civic Centre

Tannery Lane

Ashford

Kent TN23 1PL

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are unsure which meeting your comments should be addressed to.