This page sets out the documentation that the Town Council has in place to regulate its working practices. It also holds information relating to statutory policies and procedures that the Town Council has adopted.
Policy on Virtual Meetings
Until recently the Law governing Council and Committee meetings required Councillors to be present together in a physical location. Meetings were largely governed by the Local Government Act 1972 and the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangement) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012. Such legislation did not anticipate a global pandemic and the current impact of Covid-19 and social distancing guidance which has made it impractical to run Council and Committee meetings in the usual way.
The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 came into force on 4th April 2020. The Regulations provide Councils with the power to hold their Council and Committee meetings remotely, by electronic means, between 4th April 2020 and 6th May 2021. Consequently, during this period of time, to enable Councillors, Officers and the public to social distance themselves, Council and Committee meetings can lawfully be held on remote platforms by access via electronic devices, rather than being held in a physical location, such as our Council Offices in Haywards Heath.