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I will let readers decide whether this works in practice. Source Brent Constitution changes LINK
Citizens’ Rights
The Council welcomes participation by its citizens in its work. Citizens have a number of rights in their dealings with the Council. Some of these are legal rights, whilst others depend on the Council’s own processes. The local Citizens’ Advice Bureau and Community Law Centre can advise on individuals’ legal rights. Citizens have the right to:
· vote at local elections if they are registered;
· contact their local councillor about any matters of concern to them;
· obtain a copy of the Constitution;
· attend meetings of the Council and its committees except where, for example, confidential or exempt information would be disclosed;
· petition to request a referendum on an elected Mayor;
· contribute to reviews conducted by the Scrutiny Committees and/or their task groups;
· find out, from the Forward Plan, what Key Decisions are to be decided by the Cabinet, Cabinet Committees or officers, as well as other decisions to be taken at a meeting of the Cabinet or Cabinet Committees and when;
· attend meetings of the Cabinet or Cabinet Committees, except where exempt or confidential information is being discussed;
· see reports and background papers, and any record of decisions made by the Council and the Cabinet;
· complain to the Council about its service provision;
· complain to the Ombudsman if they think the Council has not followed its procedures properly. However, they should only do this after using the Council’s own complaints process;
· complain to the Monitoring Officer if they have evidence which they think shows that a councillor has not followed the Council’s Code of Conduct; and
· inspect the Council’s accounts and make their views known to the external auditor.