Need for Chatteris Town Council’s annual meeting questioned over lack of attendees

Councillors hope more townspeople will attend this annual meeting to help justify the cost of hosting the event.

The issue of the annual meeting of Chatteris Town Council, which is due to be held on April 25, was discussed as dates were set for council meetings for the next 12 months.

Cllr Ian Benney, who was chairing Tuesday’s meeting in the absence of mayor Cllr Anne Hay, was unhappy with the cost of holding the annual meeting – which is required by law – because only 11 people turned up to last year’s.

He said: “Only 11 people turned up last year, and four of them were there at my invitation. There are 13,000 people in the town and only seven of them chose to attend under their own steam.”

Cllr Benney questioned whether the council could get away with not holding it but was told it was a legal requirement.

There was some consideration given to tying the annual meeting in with one of the council’s regular meetings but clerk Jo Melton said: “The trouble with that is you don’t know how many people are going to attend, or how many will want to speak so it could mean the regular meeting is quite late starting.”

In the end, the dates for all the meetings including the AGM which will be held from 7pm at the King Edward Centre were noted and agreed.