What are committees?
Committees are meetings of elected councillors where decisions about Council services, spending and policy are made.
Who are the Members?
There are 80 councillors on the Highland Council, all elected by your votes. The Political Representation is mostly Independent but some belong to political parties. Committees vary in number and are composed according to Area representation.
How many committees are there?
At Council Headquarters our Councillors serve on 5 strategic committees, as well as 4 select committees, and 2 joint committees in which the Council works with the Health services. The full Council, comprising all 80 councillors is responsible for agreeing the annual budget and for approving the Council's policy framework.
Generally, members will serve on two of the strategic committees and can be a member of all select committees. The minutes of these meetings come before the full council for ratification.
The meeting cycle is, generally, seven-weekly, with meetings held on a Wednesday or Thursday.
Meetings of the full Council are held in public, at least six times a year, with annual budget and council tax setting meetings in February.
Councillors also serve on their local Area committees, which seek to ensure the efficient delivery of services locally. These meet on a six-eight weekly cycle, generally on a Monday and Tuesday. Information on the membership of Area committees is available on this website..
How are Committees Administered?
Committee Services publicise the date for the meeting and also prepare and publish the agenda for the meeting with supporting reports. Committee clerks also attend the meeting to take notes and record the outcome in the Minutes. Other Council Officers attend the meeting to offer professional advice to councillors before decisions are made.
The Scheme of Delegation to Committees describes what the Committees do. All meetings are conducted in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders.
How can I find out when the Committees meet?
Diaries of meetings are available on this website. Details of programmed meetings may be subject to change, and special meetings may be arranged, from time to time, these are notified through the weekly diary.
Can I attend?
Most Headquarters Committee meetings take place at the Council Offices, Glenurquhart Road Inverness. Any member of the public is entitled to attend Committee meetings of the Council listen to the discussions. You can also ask for a set of committee papers in order to follow the proceedings.
If there are items that need to be discussed in private session, the meeting is able to vote to exclude the public from the meeting. These items are usually at the end of the Agenda. The reasons for excluding the public and press are laid down in law and must be given to the public. Descriptions of Exempt Information.
How can I make my views known?
You can have your say on an issue before it goes to Committee by discussing it with your ward councillor, with councillors on the Committee or by sending comments to the Council Service dealing with the issue.
What happens at a committee meeting?
At a normal committee meeting the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, relevant Service representative and clerk to the committee usually sit at the top table with councillors in the horseshoe of seats. Seats are available for members of the public at the rear of the Council Chamber. An induction loop, for people who have difficulty with hearing, is available.
The Committee follow an agenda, which is a list of the business to be discussed and decided upon at the meeting. Reports from the Council officials are attached to this. A copy of the full agenda is available from the Members’ Assistant at the Chamber reception. You can also look at the agenda before the meeting at local libraries, local Highland Council Service Points, Council Offices or on this website.
The Chairman usually begins by asking for apologies given by any councillors who have not been able to attend the meeting. Each item is then taken in turn and discussed.
What happens after the meeting?
After the meeting, officers act on the decisions taken. A formal public record of the meeting is written by clerk to the committee and submitted to the next Council meeting.
If you have any comments or enquiries regarding Committee Services, please complete our contact form or telephone 01463 702133