Attend a scrutiny meeting

To speak at a meeting you must notify the council in writing, by midday at least 3 clear working days before the meeting.

Speakers are registered on a 'first-come' basis. The Chair will decide on the maximum number of speakers in the light of time available (usually 20 minutes). It cannot be guaranteed that everyone who applies will be allowed to speak.

To arrange to speak, contact Democratic Services.

You must provide:

• your name
• your organisation (if applicable)
• your address
• a daytime contact number
• your agreement that your name can be published 
• a summary of the subject to be raised

You must be resident in Bracknell Forest, or a representative of a business operating in the area.

Only one person may speak about each submission at the meeting. In the case of a statement on behalf of an organisation or more than one person, you must identify the organisation and others who are party to the submission.

If you have any special needs, let us know at least one working day before the meeting.

Some matters fall outside the scope of this scheme. These are:

• personal circumstances where it would not be appropriate for details to be aired in open session
• individual complaints – we have a corporate complaints procedure that should be used
• matters appropriate to one of the council’s regulatory or decision making bodies
• other issues of any kind which have been formally published and where specific arrangements are made for the public to express their views
• matters unrelated to the remit of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny commission

The Chair may also reject a submission if it:

• is not about a matter for which the board has a responsibility or which affects the Bracknell Forest or Ascot area
• is defamatory, vexatious, frivolous or offensive
• is substantially the same as a submission which has already been put at that meeting or another meeting held within the preceding 6 months
• is about the subject of an appeal or review procedure that has not yet been concluded
• needs the disclosure of confidential or exempt information

If registered to speak you must arrive at the venue for the meeting at least 15 minutes before the meeting.

A Governance and Scrutiny Officer will be present at the meeting. You must report to them when you arrive. If you fail to do this, you may not be allowed to speak.

Copies of questions or statements received will be circulated to members of the commission or panel concerned, and will be made available to members of the public who attend the meeting.

Once the meeting has reached the agenda item on subjects raised by the public, the Chair will invite each registered speaker in turn to speak for 3 minutes to outline their views. This time limit will be strictly enforced.

The speaker is not allowed to ask supplementary questions of councillors, officers or others at the meeting.

The Chair may allow a discussion and questions to be raised on your statement.

The members of the commission or panel concerned, or council officers, may contact you to seek your further input. 

You will be told of any action taken.

The formal invitation will contain details of the relevant inquiry (including any notes of previous evidence sessions) and the way overview and scrutiny works at the council. You will also be provided with an outline of the likely questions to be asked of you or issues to be discussed.

If you have been asked to give a presentation, an overview and scrutiny officer will discuss with you beforehand the style and length of your presentation and any special equipment you may require. If you haven’t been asked to give a presentation but feel that it would be helpful, contact an overview and scrutiny officer who will make any necessary arrangements.

You will be informed of any documents that the councillors wish to have produced for them. Councillors find it helpful if you can prepare a brief paper setting out some of the key facts and issues. Consult with the democratic services officer coordinating the meeting about arrangements for copying and distribution.

If you have more information that you think will aid the inquiry then send it to one of our overview and scrutiny officers who will make sure that it is put on the agenda or circulated to councillors before to the meeting.

The chairman will introduce themselves to you before the start of the meeting. One of the overview and scrutiny officers will show you to your seat and provide you with a copy of the agenda.

At the beginning of the meeting there will be a number of procedural items of business that the chairman will address, such as approving the minutes of the last meeting and taking apologies from absent members. Whilst these are formal meetings of the council, the structure tends to be informal, with free and open discussion.

If there is any information that you do not wish to give in public, you should make this clear to the chairman prior to the meeting. The council is able to conduct some of its business in private, provided that the information in question falls within a number of set criteria such as personal information or financial or business details. These categories are set out by statute. If a meeting (or part of a meeting) is to be conducted in private, this is known as ‘Part II’. The public and press will be asked to leave and, whilst minutes will be produced, they will only be made available on a restricted basis.

We make sure that all witnesses are treated with courtesy and respect. All questions to witnesses are made in an orderly manner as directed by the chair of the meeting.

When it comes to your agenda item, the chairman will introduce you to those present and ask you to introduce yourself, including a brief introduction to your work and how you are connected with the issue under discussion. Once all introductions have been completed, the meeting will open out into a question and answer session.

You should try to be honest and open in your responses and to volunteer relevant information and views, even if not specifically asked by the panel or commission.

If there is factual information available to back up any views which you may have, it will be helpful to refer to this, either directly or by stating the source of the information.

You should try to be as precise as possible in your responses. If you do not know the answer to a question simply say so and if appropriate send us the information after the meeting.

If you are only able to give an estimate, for example of costs involved in a project or about timescales, explain that it is only an estimate and not a definitive amount. Explain if there are factors or assumptions which may have a significant impact on any figures or estimates given.

If you are attending on behalf of an organisation, you should make it clear whether any views expressed are personal views or those of the organisation.

Following the meeting you will be thanked for attending. Notes of the discussion will be sent to you for factual checking. Let an overview and scrutiny officer know if you think that your views have not been accurately recorded.

If, after the meeting, you become aware that you have given incorrect or misleading information, for example by incorrectly quoting a figure, then let an overview and scrutiny officer know as soon as possible so that the information can be corrected. Following the proceedings, you will be written to (where appropriate) and informed of the outcome.

Once the panel or commission has finished the review, a report will usually be written to present a full picture of the inquiry and recommendations will be made. If the recommendations are accepted, scrutiny members will monitor progress on changed policies or procedures.