Article 3 - Local people and the Authority
3.1 People’s rights
Local People have the rights set out below. People’s rights to information and to participate are explained in more detail in the Access to Information Rules in Part 4 of this Constitution.
3.2 Voting and petitions
Local People on the electoral roll for the area have the right to:
- (a) vote and to sign a petition to request a referendum for a constitutional change to the governance arrangements operated by the Authority. This can be submitted to the Authority from 16 November 2022, namely 10 years after the last referendum, and must comply with the requirements of the relevant regulations.
- (b) vote in a referendum, where the Secretary of State has determined that the Authority in its capacity as the local precepting authority proposes a basic amount of Council Tax which the Secretary of State deems to be excessive and which is required to be determined through a local referendum.
3.3 Access to Information
Local people have the right to:
- (a) Attend and record meetings of Full Council, its Committees and Sub- Committees except where confidential or exempt information is likely to be disclosed, and the meeting is therefore held in private;
- (b) See reports and background papers, and any records of decisions made by Full Council, its Committees and Sub-Committees, and specified decisions delegated to be taken by officers on behalf of the Authority subject to the Access to Information procedure rules set out in Part 4 of this Constitution; and
- (c) Inspect the Authority’s accounts and make their views known to the external auditor.
3.4 Participation
People have the right to:
(a) Participate in a variety of meetings; these include question-time at Full Council and public speaking at regulatory Committees in accordance with accepted procedures and at Policy Committee meetings in accordance with the Protocol for Referral of Public Questions to a Policy Committee.
For further information on how to do this see “Part 4 – Rules of Procedure” (Public Questions to Council) and “Part 5 – Codes and Protocols” within the Constitution.
3.5 Complaints
People have the right to complain to:
- (a) the Authority itself under its complaints policies;
- (b) the Local Government Ombudsman; and
- (c) the Monitoring Officer about a breach of the Members’ Code of Conduct in accordance with the ‘Arrangements for Dealing with Standards Allegations’.
Where a complainant remains dissatisfied in respect of any decision made, it is open to them to pursue judicial review of the decision through the courts. Copies of the above documents are available on the Authority’s website.
3.6 Local Peoples’ Responsibilities
People are expected to behave in a manner that contributes to the well being of the Borough and
- (a) are required to register to vote and are actively encouraged to exercise their vote as part of their commitment to citizenship and local democracy.
- (b) must not be violent, abusive or threatening to Elected Members or Officers and must not wilfully harm things owned by the Authority, Elected Members or Officers. Any such behaviour will be dealt with in accordance with the Authority’s Policy on Managing Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy.