2. When does the council meet?
All councils must meet at least four times a year (although most meet more often) and their meetings must be open to the public. Certain restricted items of confidentiality may occasionally arise which require the exclusion of the public from that part of the meeting.
The Quality Parish and Town Council scheme was launched in June 2003. This provides a benchmark of minimum standards to enable local councils to better represent the communities they serve. The standards, which exceed the local councils' statutory duties, include the need to meet on at least six occasions every year. Currently there is a growing number of councils in East Devon which have achieved Quality Control status. In East Devon, some Quality Councils have taken over the power to decide on planning applications for trees and advertisements from the District Council.