Committees

The full Town Council meets approximately 6 times a year on a two-monthly cycle. The Council appoints 3 main committees, which have the power to make decisions on behalf of the Council on operational matters, while their strategic recommedations have to be approved by the full Council. Sometimes urgent decisions are required and there is a mechanism for this to be done. All Councillors have the right to attend and speak at any Committee, although they are only allowed to vote if they are a member of the committee.

The Management Committee typically meets 6 times a year, has 12 or 13 members, and looks after the Council's recreational facilities, including the Borough Gardens, Weymouth Avenue Recreation Ground, The Walks, Sandringham Sports Centre, Salisbury Field, Fordington Green, 13 children's play areas and 6 allotment sites as well as the Corn Exchange buildings, 3 Cemeteries, a large events programme and Dorchester's twinning links.

The Planning and Environment Committee meets monthly, with membership open to all Councillors who have undertaken a short training workshop.  The Committee comments on planning applications for development in Dorchester before they are determined by the Dorset Council and also deals with a wide range of other matters affecting the general environment of the town, including traffic issues and general refurbishment proposals.

The Policy Committee meets at least 6 times a year. It has 9 or 8 members and looks after the resources which the Council needs to carry out its work, including staff, property and cash as well as considering the overall direction which the Council should take, including new projects.

The Council also has a Mayoral Selection Committee,  composed of all previous Mayors, specifically to recommend the next Mayor.    

Councillors also represent the Council on the Dorchester Markets Informal Joint Panel  and the Dorchester Heritage Joint Committee  (with the Dorset Council).

Agendas are issued a minimum of three clear days before the meetings and are available for inspection in the Council Offices and are also posted on this web site.  

Minutes of each meeting are available 4 working days following the meeting from the clerk.  These detail the decisions made and some of the background to them. They are available for inspection by the public at the Council Offices at 19 North Square.

Full Council meetings are held at 7pm in the Council Chamber (upstairs in the Corn Exchange Building).
Committee meetings are also usually held in the Council Chamber but can meet at different times.

Agendas are issued a minimum of three clear days before the meetings and are available for inspection in the Council Offices and are also posted on this web site.

All meetings are open to the public; both the public and press are very welcome to attend.  Very occasionally a meeting will consider a confidential matter as the last item business of its meeting, at which point press and public will be required to leave.

The full Town Council of all 20 councillors meets every 2 months. It considers recommendations from committees and motions put forward by a councillor for discussion on a matter of public concern.  Sometimes extraordinary meetings are held to discuss major issues affecting the town.

The agendas for all Council and committee meetings are managed by the Town Clerk and his staff and will include new issues for consideration, follow up reports or actions from previous meetings and standing items such as planning applications and financial reporting.

Each agenda item is discussed and voted on by the Councillors, although most decisions are reached by consensus without the need for a formal vote. The decisions reached are recorded in the minutes which are available for inspection by press and public; copies are available 4 days after the meeting from the clerk.

Once a decision has been passed by Council, and a course of action identified, the work is organised and/or carried out by the Town Clerk and his staff.

Please note it is very occasionally unavoidable that meeting dates need to be changed at short notice. Please check this website or contact the Town Council Offices to confirm a meeting date.

Standing Orders (inc Committee Terms of Reference)

Financial Regulations

To ensure that the the Council takes decisions as quickly as possible and at the right level of responsibility it operates a formal delegation scheme.  You can see a copy of the scheme by clicking here.