Standing Orders

Standing Orders for Weston on the Green Parish Council were approved at 12th May 2026 Parish Council meeting.

Standing Orders cover the following areas:

• Calling and organising meetings: how ordinary and extraordinary meetings are arranged, how much notice is required, how agendas are prepared and how meetings are advertised to the public.
• Rules of debate: how councillors introduce proposals, move and second motions, suggest amendments, speak during discussions and ensure that debate remains orderly. The Chair uses these rules to manage the meeting fairly.
• Voting and decision-making: how votes are taken, how appointments are decided, what happens when votes are tied and how the Council deals with previous resolutions. These procedures help establish whether a decision has been properly made.
• Committees and delegated responsibilities: how committees and subcommittees are established and conduct their meetings, and how their work fits within the Council’s overall decision-making arrangements. The Council must also be clear about which decisions can be delegated and which must be taken by the full Council.
• Agendas and minutes: the procedures for submitting motions, considering agenda items, preparing draft minutes and approving the record of decisions made at meetings.
• Conduct and interests: relevant procedures concerning councillors’ conduct, declarations of interest, dispensations and the handling of confidential or sensitive matters. These provisions work alongside the Council’s Code of Conduct and applicable legislation.
• Public participation and communication: how members of the public may participate in meetings, where permitted by the Council’s procedures, and how the Council handles press enquiries, information and communications.

Standing Orders provide a common framework that all councillors should understand and follow. They help to ensure that:

• Every councillor has a fair opportunity to contribute to discussions.
• Meetings are conducted in an orderly and consistent way.
• Decisions are made through the correct procedures.
• The Chair understands how to manage debate and voting.
• The Clerk knows how to prepare agendas, record decisions and administer meetings.
• The public can understand how the Council reaches its decisions and hold it to account.

Powers of the Parish Council
Parish Councils have a wide range of powers which they can exercise although many are not appropriate for a village the size of Weston on the Green.