Making a deputation to the Audit & Governance Committee

Fareham Borough Council has adopted a Deputation Scheme for all of its meetings which form the Council's Committee Structure. The scheme allows anyone with a vested interested in the Council, e.g. living, working, studying or the owner of property or a business in the Borough to speak on a specific topic which, in the case of a meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee, must be on a topic which forms an item on the agenda for that meeting. This page outlines the guidelines and rules for speaking at a meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee.

Information about the Audit and Governance Committee Meetings

Meetings of the Audit and Governance Committee are held 6 times a year and take place in the Collingwood Room.  Meetings are attended by the 13 Committee Members. Further details about Audit and Governance Committee meetings and a full list of meeting dates can be found here: Audit and Governance Committee.

How to make a deputation at the Audit and Governance Committee

In order to make a deputation you must formally apply to us in writing first. This can be done via email, by post, completing a form at the Civic Offices or by completing this online form: Deputation Request. Once your request has been received, you will receive a letter confirming receipt and advising you of the meeting venue and the time you should attend.

To avoid delays in your request being processed, when applying to make a deputation, please do not send anything to us other than your deputation request. You will be contacted to confirm your request has been accepted, and at that point, if you wish to submit a written deputation you will be advised further.

Guidelines for making deputation to Audit & Governance

If you would like to speak at a meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee we ask that you abide by a few ground rules:

• An application to make a deputation providing brief details of the subject matter must be submitted to Democratic Services by noon 2 working days before the meeting, e.g. if the meeting is to be held on a Tuesday evening, your deputation must be received by noon on the Friday before.
• Deputations can be made in person at the meeting or as a written statement which will be circulated to members of the committee prior to the meeting. Written statements must be received by noon the day before the meeting.
• The deputation topic must be on a matter which forms the subject of an item for discussion on the agenda for that meeting.
• Any written or photographic supporting material must be submitted to Democratic Services prior to the meeting. Please discuss any supporting material with us so that we can ensure that, if appropriate, it is circulated in good time. Please be aware that members of the Committee are not obliged that take this material in account in making their decision. 
• The maximum time you will be allocated to speak at the meeting is 10 minutes (1300 words in the case of a written statement). Your deputation will be timed, and we ask that you do not exceed the time allocated to you. The total time allocated for deputations at a meeting is 30 minutes. If more than 3 deputation requests are received at a meeting, the total time will be shared equally between all the Deputees.

We ask that anyone making a deputation respects these rules and conducts themselves in an appropriate manner. Our meetings are held in public and our officers must ensure that meetings proceed in a fair and just way, for the benefit of everyone in attendance

The rules of our deputation scheme are bound by the Council's Constitution, which can be found by following this link: Deputation Scheme (524 KB).

The Council's Committee Officers are available to discuss any aspect of the deputation process. We understand how potentially daunting giving a deputation can be so we are here to help. If you have any queries or require any further clarification then please call our Democratic Services Team on 01329 824581 or email democraticservices@fareham.gov.uk.