Letter: Former CEO Has Taken a Cynical View of Public Speaker Rules

Published on: 24 Aug, 2025
Updated on: 25 Aug, 2025

Simon Higgins speaking at the full council meeting.

From George Potter

Lib Dem borough councillor for Burpham

In response to: So Will the GBC Constitution Be Changed to Allow Fairer Debate?

Mr Quoroll appears to have either not fully read Cllr Lucas’s letter or, as sometimes appears to be the case with Mr Quoroll, taken a view which seems to owe more to cynicism than to accuracy.

There are two ways any member of the public can have their voice heard at a council meeting: public statements and public questions.

A public statement, which is what Mr Higgins chose to do, is made to the whole council chamber, after which the appropriate portfolio holder may make a reply.

A public question is submitted in writing in advance, with a written reply supplied by the time of the meeting. The questioner is then entitled to ask a time-limited supplementary question at the meeting in response to the written reply, which will then be answered by the relevant portfolio holder.

The latter appears to be exactly what Mr Quoroll is saying should be added to GBC’s constitution.

Personally I think is quite understandable, albeit unfortunate, that Mr Higgins mistakenly opted for a public statement rather than a question, but I am somewhat surprised that a former local authority CEO seems to be similarly unaware of such a distinction and appears not to have done the homework necessary to know that what he thinks should happen is already in the constitution.

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