Labour moves local meetings to the city centre and stop residents speaking at them

Labour moves local meetings to the city centre and stop residents speaking at them

The new Labour administration for Birmingham City Council has released details on how the Constituency, or to give them their new name, District Committees, will in future be run.

In future the District Committee will no longer be held within the Constituency they are responsible for, normally in a school hall or community centre, but instead they will in future be held  in the Council House in the city centre. They will no longer be held in the evenings – this was done to make it easier for residents to attend – but instead be held during the day. Members of the public will no longer be allowed to speak at these meetings, which at present, in most Constituency committees, they are encourage to do so.

Most importantly, the District Committees can not deviate from this new ruling, which previously they could do so.

The relevant document can be seen at http://www.scribd.com/doc/94827786/Meetings-Arrangements-for-District-Committees-25-05-2012

The key paragraph is on page 2, as follows:

District Committee Meetings

District Committees should agree a programme of bi-monthly meetings, alternating with ward committee meetings, in the first instance. As decision-making meetings, these should take place in the Council House, in day-time during the normal working week.

Business should be conducted in public, except for those few reports which require private consideration for stated, appropriate reasons. As decision-making meetings, members of the public may only speak at the invitation of the Chairman. Committee rooms should be arranged so as to promote discussions amongst members of the Committee, rather than between the Committee and the public.