Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge town councillors are to reduce the number of meetings they hold as part of a bid to increase their efficiency.
The re-think comes after a record 85 committee meetings were held during 2012, prompting a vote at Monday’s full council meeting where it was agreed the frequency will be scaled back.
Mayor Ken Smout told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We want to reduce the frequency of meetings and also reduce the paperwork and workload on the council office, thereby improving efficiency while making better use of the time of officers and councillors.”
Full Town Council meetings will now be held only 10 times a year instead of monthly, with no gatherings during the quiet months of January and August. Other committees will also meet less often, except the planning applications committee which will continue to be held every three weeks.
Cllr Phil Harvey said: “For a council of such a small size, we have been holding a lot of meetings, especially when you consider that many larger councils than us hold fewer meetings with smaller committees. I am all in favour of a reduction.”
The proposals were also approved by Conservative group leader Peter Burridge-Clayton and independent group leader Cllr Chris Williams.
