Working parties are useful for councillors to give consideration to complex matters before the decision making process begins.
When a meeting is set up to establish a working party, the composition and chair (can be either officer or councillor) are agreed and the terms of reference set.
Working parties do not have to be politically balanced.
Being informal bodies, working parties are not bound by meeting rules, and officers are not precluded from active participation. However, working parties are advisory and not decision making bodies.
Draft reports and final reports of working parties are made to the appropriate committee(s).
