PUBLIC AND COUNCILLORS WORKING TOGETHER FOR BRIGG

Brigg has seen an interesting development in local democracy over recent months.
We have groups attended by elected councillors AND members of the public to discuss a range of topics.
Brigg in Bloom - providing colourful flowers - led the way and is now overseen by a committee of volunteers, some of whom are councillors.
Brigg Town Council's Environmental Development Working Group - made up of councillors and members of the public - deals with some topics once considered by a couple of council committees until these were disbanded.
Having received the agenda, Brigg Blog decided to sit in on the working group's latest meeting, in the Angel Suite, which followed the Town Council's July meeting.
It was the first time we'd attended one of these, and it provided plenty of interest.
Seven town councillors were listed as serving on this group and were joined by "invitees" - people with detailed knowledge of particular topics under consideration.
Those invited along to the latest session included two members/officials of the Brigg Town Business Partnership, the proprietors of a local shop, an officer from North Lincolnshire Council Tourism and the manager of Brigg Heritage Centre.
Items discussed included new Information Boards aimed at visitors to Brigg, provision of a new mechanical street sweeper, and involving local schools in a project for Holocaust Memorial Day in January.
The street sweeper is still under consideration with further information expected at the group's next meeting, while the Holocaust project will get under way after classes resume in September following the summer holiday.
Other than the solitary agenda item called Public Question Time, members of the public are not permitted to speak during council or committee meetings - unless the authority votes to temporarily suspend its rules (known as standing orders) so this can happen.
However, from what we observed at the latest working group meeting, verbal input from non-councillors is very welcome.
Chris Darlington, Debs Dunderdale and Robert Jackson had as much to say as elected representatives on some of the agenda items.
Working groups differ from council committees in not having decision-making powers.
Instead, they discuss issues, sort out the fine detail and make recommendations to Brigg Town Council, to be considered (and voted on) at one of its monthly meetings.
Brigg Town Council's Planning & Environment Committee continues to discuss planning applications as it has for many years, and there is also a Personnel Committee which resolves to exclude the press and public due to the confidential nature of (staffing) items to be discussed.
Those apart, all the remaining business is dealt with by Brigg Town Council during its monthly meetings.
Back in the 1980s, Glanford Borough Council had a sub-committee that addressed highways and road safety, meeting every sixth week in the ornate council chamber at Hewson House.
Borough councillors were joined by road safety staff from Humberside County Council, a police chief inspector or inspector, Humberside highways staff and representatives from the local haulage association.
This sub-committee operated along similar lines to Brigg's current Environmental Development Working Group, merely making recommendations for Glanford Borough Council to consider.
Why doesn't Brigg Town Council just deal with all matters requiring attention at its main monthly meetings?
That was how things were done in the council's early years from 1974 into the 1990s.
However, there was so much to discuss that some of these meetings dragged on from 7pm until well after 10pm.
Because of time pressures, items that deserved lengthy consideration didn't always receive it before the vote was taken.
Committees were eventually created to consider matters relating to policy, property, planning and the environment.
These days, due to the existence of various working groups, Brigg Town Council meetings usually last about an hour.
It helps to have three senior councillors from North Lincolnshire Council in attendance wearing their hats as elected members of Brigg Town Council.
During Town Council meetings Coun Rob Waltham, Coun Carl Sherwood and Coun Nigel Sherwood can often answer questions about various topics involving the unitary authority that relate to Brigg.