Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947

PART II

Town Councils.

Meetings.

1 (1) The town council of a burgh shall in every year hold such meetings of the council as are required for the purpose of complying with any provision of this Act or any other enactment or any statutory order and such other meetings as are considered necessary for the transaction of the general business of the council.

(2) A meeting of the council shall be held on the first Friday after the first Tuesday in November.

(3) Meetings of the town council shall be held in the case of the meeting appointed to be held on the first Friday after the first Tuesday of November at twelve noon or at such other hour as the council may by standing order or otherwise fix, and in the case of other meetings at such hour and on such dates as the council may by standing order or otherwise fix or, if no hour is so fixed, at twelve noon.

(4) Meetings of a town council shall be held at such place as the council may direct.

Convening meetings.

2 Subject to any administrative scheme under this Act and to any standing orders made by a town council, the following provisions shall have effect with respect to convening meetings of the council and of committees and sub-committees thereof:—

(1) Notice of the time and place of a meeting of a town council shall be given by or on behalf of the town clerk not less than twenty-four hours before the meeting by being left at or sent by post to the usual place of residence or the place of business of every member of the council, and shall specify the business proposed to be transacted at the meeting:

Provided that want of notice to any member of the council shall not affect the validity of a meeting.

(2) The town clerk shall call a meeting of the town council at any time on being required so to do by the provost or on receiving a requisition in writing for that purpose specifying the business proposed to be transacted at the meeting signed by one-fourth of the whole number of members of the council, which meeting shall be held within four days of receipt of the requisition.

(3) Except in the case of business which has to be transacted at any meeting of the council required to be held by this Act or any other enactment or any statutory order, no business shall be transacted at a meeting of the council other than that specified in the notice of the meeting.

(4) The provisions of all the sub-paragraphs of this paragraph shall apply to committees and sub-committees of the council in like manner as they apply to the council, with the substitution of references to the committee or sub-committee, as the case may be, and to the chairman of the committee or subcommittee for references to the council and to the provost respectively.

(5) Any reference in this paragraph to the provost shall include a reference to the acting chief magistrate.

Emergency meeting.

3 Where it appears to the provost that an item of business demands special urgency, a meeting of the council shall if he so requires be called by the town clerk to be held at a time less than twenty-four hours from the issue of the notice, or less than the period fixed by standing orders, but any resolution passed at such a meeting shall not be valid and binding on the council unless a majority of the whole members of the Council are present at the meeting or the resolution is confirmed by a subsequent meeting called after due notice as aforesaid.

Chairman of meeting.

4 (1) At a meeting of a town council, the provost if present shall preside.

(2) If the provost is absent, the senior bailie present at the meeting and failing any bailie such councillor as the members of the council present shall choose shall preside.

Quorum.

5 Subject to the provisions of Part IV of this Schedule, no business shall be transacted at a meeting of a town council unless at least one-fourth of the whole number of members of the council or such other proportion as the council with consent of the Secretary of State may determine are present thereat.