The Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2007

Proceedings of a local access forum

6.—(1) Save as provided in this regulation and subject to regulations 7, 8 and 10, the proceedings (including the quorum) relating to the meetings of a local access forum shall be such as the forum may determine.

(2) A local access forum must hold at least two meetings every year.

(3) A local access forum must have a chairman and a vice-chairman, who must be appointed by election from amongst the members of the forum.

(4) The first chairman and vice-chairman of a local access forum must be appointed at the first meeting of the forum.

(5) The period of appointment of the chairman and vice-chairman must be determined by the local access forum, but in each case it may not exceed the period of appointment as a member of the forum.

(6) With a view to maintaining a reasonable balance between the interests of which the chairman and vice-chairman are respectively representative, a local access forum shall take such steps as regards the matters mentioned in paragraph (7) as may be necessary to ensure that so far as practicable the chairman and vice-chairman are persons who are each, on appointment as a member of the forum, eligible to be so appointed—

(a) on any basis mentioned in regulation 3(5) other than any on which the other was eligible to be so appointed; or

(b) (where each was appointed in accordance with regulation 3(5)(c)) on the basis of an interest other than any which was the basis on which the other was eligible to be so appointed.

(7) The matters referred to in paragraph (6) are the selection of candidates for election as chairman and vice-chairman, determining the order in which they are appointed or the duration of their appointments as such, or any combination of these.

(8) A member of a local access forum who is directly or indirectly interested in any matter brought up for consideration at a meeting of the forum must disclose the nature of his interest to the meeting.