MarthamCommittees, Working Parties and Delegates
Committee members are elected by the council soon after the new Council year in May. Where necessary, non-councillors can be (and are) co-opted to represent the council in external groups and deal with correspondence relating to specific subjects. Non-members can also be co-opted onto committees and working parties if it was felt their expertise would be beneficial.
A word about the difference between a Committee and a Working Party.
A committee has the same statutory requirements as a normal Parish Council meeting, the amount of notice required, a public meeting place, an agenda, the taking and publishing of minutes etc. Some powers can be delegated to Committees. They are always held in public. We have one Committee at present and that is for Finance - We feel strongly that all discussions and decisions regarding council tax spending should be held by a committee and not Working Party.
A working party has no statutory requirements. Generally, these meetings are typically informal, have no powers and report back to Council with findings and recommendations - Their primary aim is to help prevent normal Parish Council meetings from getting bogged down with too much detail, their reports both written and verbal, should be the basis for Councillors to make value judgments at the full meetings.
An Ad Hoc Working Party can be formed at any time to deal with a particular issue, and will be disbanded after that issue is resolved.
Delegates
Other bodies may invite the Council to send representatives to attend their meetings. These are appointed at a full Council meeting.