Public Speaking Arrangements
Please note that our public webforms are currently not working. The Council is working to restore these but in the meantime, if you wish to submit a question to full Council, Planning or Overview and Scrutiny Committee this must be done via email. Please email democraticservices@dover.gov.uk with your question.
Public Speaking Arrangements
The Council only provides for arrangements for public speaking at full Council (in the form of a question on notice), Planning Committee (in respect of an application on the agenda) and Overview and Scrutiny Committee (in respect of a report on the agenda). Each of these committees has its own arrangements in place to goven public speaking requests but in all cases these arrangements require registration to speak in advance of the meeting.
Broadcast of Meetings
The Council has introduced high quality live broadcasts of most of its meetings that are open to the public to attend. The viewing of the live broadcast online allows for a greater number of people to view the proceedings than can be physically accommodated by the Council Chamber's limited public seating provision.
The Council has agreed to broadcast on this website the following meetings: Planning Committee, Cabinet, Council, Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Governance Committee and General Purposes Committee. We broadcast these using Teams and a link to view these meetings live can be found on the web page for the agenda a couple of days prior to the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be made available for up to 30 days from the date of the meeting on the Council's YouTube channel.
Please note that when you request to speak at a meeting you will be asked to confirm that you are happy for your image and audio to be broadcast as part of the meeting. You have the option of declining this should you choose. This will not affect your ability to register to speak or how you are heard/seen in the Council Chamber itself but it will affect what the public watching online will see and hear during the meeting via the live broadcast.
Meetings of the full Council
A member of the public may ask a question to a member of the Cabinet at an ordinary meeting of the Council (excluding the Annual Meeting of Council and Extraordinary Meetings of the Council).
A maximum of 3 minutes is allowed for the question to be read out and an additional supplementary question arising directly out of the question or reply given may be asked at the meeting. The Chairman's decision on the admissability of a supplementary question is final. There is a limit of one question per questioner or organisation (excluding the supplementary question) at a meeting. A total of 15 minutes is allocated for public questions and you will be advised how your question is to be dealt with if it cannot be asked in the allotted time.
The Council's Constitution sets out the the arrangements for public questions in more detail.
Questions should be submitted either by using the link below (the preferred option) or by email to CouncilQuestions@dover.gov.uk or to Democratic Services in writing to the address at the bottom of the page.
Democratic Services must receive, in writing or by email, the question by no later than 5pm on the 9th working day before the date of the meeting. Questions are dealt with in the order they are received.
Planning Committee
A member of the public may speak at Planning Committee in respect of matters relating to the determination of individual applications for planning permission contained in the Planning Committee agenda.
One person is allowed to speak in favour of, and one person shall be allowed to speak against, each application.
A maximum of 3 minutes is allowed for each speaker. The Council's Member Planning Code of Good Practice sets out the arrangements for public speaking at Planning Committee in further detail.
Requests to speak should be submitted either by using the link below (the preferred option) or by email to publicspeaking@dover.gov.uk or to Democratic Services in writing to the address at the bottom of the page.
Democratic Services must receive the request to speak request by no later than 5pm on the 2nd working day prior to the date of the meeting. Requests to speak are dealt with in the order that they are received.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
A member of the public may speak at an ordinary meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in respect of matters contained within the agenda for that meeting.
A maximum of 3 minutes is allowed for each speaker, with a total of 30 minutes allocated for public speaking at the meeting.
The Council's Protocol for Public Speaking at Overview and Scrutiny sets out the arrangements for public speaking in further detail.
Democratic Services must receive the request to speak by no later than 5pm on the 2nd working day prior to the date of the meeting. Requests to speak are dealt with in the order that they are received.
Requests to speak should be submitted either by using the link below (the preferred option) or by email to speakingatscrutiny@dover.gov.uk or by post to Democratic Services in writing to the address at the bottom of the page.
Contact Democratic Services
Email: democraticservices@dover.gov.uk