Attending meetings

Islington Council is committed to being open and transparent in the way it conducts its business. The majority of the important decisions the council makes are made at meetings of the Executive, full Council or one of the council's committees. The meetings are held in public and members of the public are very welcome to attend. The majority of meetings are also webcast, allowing the public to watch the meeting live online, rather than attending in person. If there are confidential or exempt matters to be discussed, part of the meeting may be in private, but this is very rare.

The Meetings Calendar shows which meetings are taking place each month, or you can view the list of meetings for an individual committee under the Committees page. The individual committee pages also lists the members, includes a brief description of the committee's role and the contact details of the committee clerk who can assist with any enquiries.

The meeting agenda and all non-exempt papers are publically accessible documents and these are available five working days before each meeting. Papers can be downloaded either via the Meetings Calendar or the list of meetings under the Committees page. If a meeting is being recorded and is available on our webcasting service, then a link will be available on the webpage for each meeting.

The council welcomes attendance by members of the public, however please be aware that meeting rooms are currently operating with a limited capacity and we will only be able to admit a small number of people to into meetings. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The procedures followed at some meetings, such as Planning committees, are governed by legislation, but it is usually possible for members of the public to speak either for or against an application. If you wish to speak at a Planning meeting, please follow the advice you will receive when you register to speak with the Planning department.

Special notice regarding Council Chamber capacity

Unfortunately, following instructions received from the Council’s Fire Safety consultant, we are currently only allowed to admit 90 people to the Council Chamber.

We have been advised that the rear fire escape is not safe and cannot be used. This means there is only one point of entry/escape and it is unsafe to allow more than 90 people into the room.

We are working on a project to reinstate the rear fire escape, but it unfortunately requires significant re-design and the removal of a later extension to the building to comply with current safety regulations and there is no quick solution.

In the meantime, it is unfortunately necessary for us to manage who is admitted to the Chamber, so that people who have submitted questions in advance, or are presenting a petition, can participate in the meeting. The meeting can be viewed from the public gallery, which can seat 20 people, or you can view a live webcast of the meeting

Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Questions at Council meetings

At ordinary meetings of full Council, members of the public may ask questions of the Leader, another member of the Executive or the Chair of any scrutiny committee. Members of the public may ask one question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the borough. The time set aside for questions from members of the public is 30 minutes.

Please note that questions cannot be asked at the Annual Council meeting, which is a cermonial meeting held each year to elect the Mayor of Islington.

Questions must be submitted in advance at least 7 clear working days before the date of the meeting (there is a list of deadline dates below). The question and the name of the questioner will be printed with the agenda and this will be published in the papers for the meeting and on the Council's website. The question, the name of the questioner and the reply given will also be included in the minutes of the meeting and will be published on the Council's website.

Questions will usually be answered in the order they were received, however the Mayor has the discretion to vary this if necessary.

Questions should be emailed to democracy@islington.gov.uk

A question may be rejected if it:

(a) is not about a matter for which the Council has a responsibility or which affects the area;
(b) is defamatory, frivolous or offensive;
(c) is substantially the same as a question asked within the last six months;
(d) requests the disclosure of information which is confidential or exempt; or
(e) names, or clearly identifies, a member of staff or any other individual.

If a reply cannot be given at the meeting, or if the time allocated for questions has elapsed, a written reply will be sent.

Deadlines for the submission of advance questions for full Council

Deadline for meeting on 12 December 2024 is: 2pm on 2 December 2024

Filming, recording and broadcasting meetings

The Council operates a webcasting service and many meetings are available to watch live online. Recordings are available for six months from the date of the meeting.

Providing that no disruption is caused and that other people are not obstructed from observing and participating in the meeting, the press and members of the public are also able to film, photograph or record decision making in action at any council meeting that is open to the public and to use social media tools, such as Twitter.

We request that other members of the public are not filmed or recorded, unless they are speaking or actively participating in the meeting and to avoid disruption to meetings, flash photography, additional lighting or large equipment are not permitted, unless agreed in advance.

Should filming, recording or using social media become disruptive, the council's constitution provides for the removal of a member of the public from a meeting should that person, having been warned, continue to interrupt proceedings.

Any person or organisation choosing to film, record or broadcast any meeting of the Council, its Cabinet or committees is responsible for any claims or other liability resulting from them so doing and by choosing to film, record or broadcast proceedings they accept that they are required to indemnify the Council, its members and officers in relation to any such claims or liabilities.