Your rights at Council meetings

You have the right to attend any Royal Borough of Greenwich meeting which is held in public.

Keeping buildings and public meetings safe

To ensure our buildings and public meetings are safe and accessible to everyone attending, we will carry out security measures when needed.

This may include searching people and their belongings before allowing entry. If you refuse to be searched, you will not be able to enter the building or attend the meeting. 

Please restrict the size of bags you bring to meetings as we do not have places to store bags or personal items. 

To manage risks, we may use other searches such as metal detectors if necessary.

You must not bring certain items into any of our public meetings. We will confiscate any of the following items:

• sharp items such as knives (including Swiss army knives), scissors, cutlery and screwdrivers
• personal defence equipment such as defence sprays
• paint spray or similar items
• padlocks, chains and climbing gear
• items that make a noise such as whistles, loud hailers, megaphones
• drinks and bottles of water
• banners, placards and flags or similar items

Conduct at meetings

Councillors must be able to make themselves heard on behalf of those they represent.

The Mayor or the Chair will not allow behaviour that disrupts council business.

Under the Council’s Constitution, Part 4A, Section A1.93, at any meeting of the Council, the Mayor has the power to order the removal of any member of the public who:

• interrupts the proceedings
• acts in a way that impacts the proper and orderly conduct of the meeting

In the interest of order during a meeting, the Mayor may suspend or adjourn a meeting for any length of time they decide.

You must follow the Mayor's authority and any requests to sit down or stop acting in a way that disrupts the Council business. 

In most meetings, there are no incidents and Council is not disturbed. We hope this continues so there is no need for the Mayor or any Chair of a meeting to take these actions. 

If individuals choose to disrupt meetings, the Council have adopted the following policy:

1. First occasion: Written warning
2. Second occasion: Ban from future Council meetings for three months subject to review at the end of those three months

Meeting agendas

Copies of agenda are available online. If you are attending a meeting and require a hard copy of an agenda please contact the Corporate Governance Officer at least one day before the meeting.

You are not obliged to let us know if you are attending, but you must do so if you wish to address the meeting. If you do inform us, we can make sure there is enough seating.

Contact the Corporate Governance Officer to find out further information. Their contact details appear on the front of the meeting agenda.

Meeting locations

We hold most Council meetings at Woolwich Town Hall. The Town Hall has wheelchair access, good lighting, an induction loop system for people who are hard of hearing and is fully accessible (DisabledGo website).

Meetings held elsewhere are usually in wheelchair accessible locations.

Interpreters and sign language interpreters

We can usually arrange for an interpreter or a sign language interpreter to attend a meeting if required.

To request this service, contact the Corporate Governance at least five days before the meeting, and specify the language you need.

Attendance allowance

Allowances are available if you need a babysitter or carer so you can attend. Please contact Corporate Governance in advance. You will be asked for copy of receipts from the babysitter or carer.

Asking questions at meetings

You can raise questions on agenda items with the prior agreement of the Chair. Normally, you'll need to submit the question at least 24 hours before the meeting. If it is not possible to answer that question at the meeting, for example if it is of a complicated technical nature, then you'll get a written response.

Contact Corporate Governance to raise questions or speak at a meeting, using the contact details on the front of the meeting agenda.

You can also send your question to the Committee Officer in charge of the meeting. The latest you can submit your question is 24 hours before the meeting.

Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives you the right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities.

Meetings may be webcast and this will be stated either on the agenda or at the meetings. That recording will stay on the relevant website for one year. Meetings will not otherwise be recorded by the authority.