 The meetings of the Marlborough Town Council and its Committees are open to the public and the press, however there are certain restrictions on allowing members of the public to speak.
Council meetings are not public meetings (i.e. they are meetings and discussions of the Council members only), and therefore members of the public do not have an automatic right to speak without the consent of the Chairman. If the Chairman feels that a member of the public's contribution will aid the Committee's decision making, he may suspend Standing Orders (the regulations to which all meetings must conform) to allow that member to speak; this is however quite rare and should not be relied upon by visitors to the Council Chamber. During Full Town Council meetings there is an opportunity for members of the public to ask the Council questions in public question time. If the Chairman or Councillor is unable to give an answer immediately to the question posed, he may give a written reply when it is possible. Every April the Mayor calls an Annual Parish meeting, which is public meeting, and when members of the electorate may question the Mayor, Clerk and Chairman of the Town Council Committees.
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