Number of questions councillors ask could be cut

The number of questions Powys county councillors from Newtown could ask at full council meetings could be cut.

The Democratic services committee will be meeting today to look at whether the current system needs to be changed.

The number of questions being asked by councillors from throughout the county at meetings has risen in the past year.

This has led to meetings lasting far longer than expected.

Head of democratic services, Wyn Richards, said: “Currently members have to submit questions at least 10 clear days before the council meeting. There is also a limit of two questions per member.”

Usually, the questions are answered in writing before the meeting and the portfolio holder or officer read it out at the meeting.

Members are then allowed to ask one follow up or “supplementary” question.

This means that if every councillor, outside of the cabinet, asked their allotted two questions, there could be 130 questions at a  meeting.

And this would be doubled to 260 if all councillors asked a follow-up question.

At the moment PCC doesn’t set a maximum number of questions per meeting and it doesn’t have a set time limit for dealing with this section of the meeting.

In his report, Mr Richards says that he has looked at how other councils in Wales structure questions from councillors at their meetings.

He believes there are “variations in practice” that need to be considered.
These include:
• Reducing the maximum number of questions which can be asked at a  meeting to one plus one follow up question
• Limiting the total time allowed for questions
• Limiting the number of questions which will be considered by council at
• each meeting
• Allowing councillors to ask formal questions – outside of the full council meeting and they will receive a formal written response.
•
Mr Richards added that the formal questions outside of full council was done at Newport City Council.

Mr Richards said: “This requires that any questions submitted are responded to within 10 working days and are published on the council’s website.

“This has the benefit that members do not have to wait for a formal council meeting to have questions asked and responses published.”

If any changes to the status quo are recommended by the committee, they would need to go to a full council meeting for approval.

Number of questions per full council meeting:

• July 2018 – 16
• October 2018 – 27
• January 2019 – 14
• March 2019 (budget) – eight
• July 2019 – 21

Other full council meetings were on specific issues, such as budget, appointing chief executive, special or annual.

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporting Service