Council

Council   The Council is currently composed of 50 Councillors, who meet together as The Council. The Council meet together approximately every two months and the public can generally attend and ask questions.   At Council, Councillors decide the council's overall policies and set the budget each year. The Council appoints the Leader, Deputy Leader and the Cabinet.   The Council also appoints Councillors to its Scrutiny Committees, Regulatory and other committees.  The Scrutiny committees are the primary means of holding the Cabinet to account, and they, in turn report direct to the Council. The Mayor chairs the meetings of Council and acts as a non-political Civic Head.   Members of the Public asking Questions at Council Meetings   Any person can ask a question of the Leader, Members of the Cabinet, or the Chair of a Committee at Ordinary, Extraordinary and Special Meetings of the Council.   A question may only be asked if 24 hours’ notice has been given by delivering the question in writing or by e-mail to Democratic Services (james.mcallister@darlington.gov.uk) no later than 6 p.m. on the day before the day of the meeting.   Each question must be accompanied by the name and address of the questioner and must name the Member of the Council to whom it is to be put. Questions will be asked in the order notice of them was received, except that the Mayor may group together similar questions.   The Assistant Director, Law and Governance may reject a question if it :-   (a) Is not about a matter for which the Local Authority has a responsibility or which affects the Borough;   (b) Is defamatory (or potentially so), frivolous or offensive;   (c) Is substantially the same as a question which has been put at a meeting of the Council in the past six months; or   (d) Requires the disclosure of confidential or exempt information.   Asking your Question at the Meeting   The Mayor will invite the questioner to come forward and ask the question of the Member named in the notice.   If a questioner who has submitted a question is unable to attend, they may ask the Mayor to put the question on their behalf. The Mayor may decide to ask the question on the questioner’s behalf; indicate that a written reply will be provided; or decide, in the absence of the questioner, that the question will not be dealt with.   A questioner who has attended and put a question in person may also put one Supplementary Question without Notice to the Member who has replied to his or her original question. A Supplementary Question must arise directly out of the original question or the reply received. The Mayor may reject a Supplementary Question on any of the grounds set out above.