Committee Services FAQs
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about Councillors and meetings of the Moray Council.
- Who is my Councillor?
- Which political party does my Councillor represent?
- Which party has political control in Moray?
- What is the difference between a Councillor and a Council officer?
- What does a Councillor do?
- Who is the Civic Leader of the Council?
- Who is the Leader of the Council?
- How do you become a Councillor?
- Who sits on which Committee?
- Who are the Chairs of the various Committees?
- What does each Committee do?
- When are council and committee meetings held?
- Can I attend a meeting?
- Can I watch the meeting?
- How soon before the meeting will the agenda/papers be available?
- Can I speak at committee meetings?
Who is my Councillor?
Who is Your Councillor?
If you know the name of the Ward where you live then locate the ward to find the Councillor(s). If you are unsure which Ward you live in, use the online map boundary tool and search for the name of your village or town.
Which political party does my Councillor represent?
Who is Your Councillor? page gives details of the party each councillor represents.
Which party has political control in Moray?
Moray Council has an Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party administration. The Scottish National Party (SNP) are the largest opposition party.
The political make-up of the Council can be found on Who is My Councillor?
What is the difference between a Councillor and a Council officer?
A Councillor is an elected representative on the Council who usually belongs to a political party. An officer is a non-political employee of the Council. Elected Councillors set the Council’s policies and priorities, which officers put into practice.
What does a Councillor do?
Local people elect Councillors (who are sometimes also called 'Ward Councillors' or Members) to represent them on the Council where the serve the public by planning and managing the Council’s business. Councillors work to improve the quality of life for people within the area served by the Council by making policies and decisions about services provided for the local community. They follow up items raised with them by local people, campaign on local issues and represent the community both within the Council and with other organisations. The role and responsibilities of a Councillor can be found here.
Who is the Civic Leader of the Council?
The Civic Leader is Councillor John Cowe (Independent). The Civic Leader represents the Council at civic and ceremonial events during their term of office.
Who is the Leader of the Council?
The Leaders of the Council is Kathleen Robertson (Scottish Conservative and Unionist). The Leader of the Council acts as the primary representative of, and spokesperson for, the Council and promotes, both within and out with the Council, the Council’s vision for Moray and the policies and programmes adopted by the Council in pursuance of that vision. The Leader also represents the Council at external meetings, including COSLA Leaders group, as required.
How do you become a Councillor?
Councillors are elected by local people for a term of 5 years, with the last election in May 2022. Candidates must satisfy certain qualifications to be able to stand and must be at least 18. Further details about becoming a candidate during an election or by-election can be found in Elections Services.
Who sits on which Committee?
There is a link to each separate Committee on the Committees of the Council information page. Clicking the link for each Committee brings up a list of the Members and a brief description of the role and remit of the Committee.
Who are the Chairs of the various Committees?
Details of Chair and Deputy Chair are contained on each Committee on the Committees of the Council information page.
What does each Committee do?
Brief descriptions of the functions of each Committee can be found by clicking on each Committee on the Committees of the Council information page.
When are council and committee meetings held?
Typically committee meetings are held on an 8-week cycle with a short recess in July and at Christmas. A timetable of all scheduled meetings of the Council and its Committees can be found here. Most meetings are held during the normal working day and start at 9.30am. Meeting occasionally start at 2:00pm.
The agendas for specific meetings say when and where the meeting will take place. Agendas can be found on the Agendas, Reports and Minutes page where there is a heading for each Committee, which opens up a page listing both the agendas and minutes for meetings of the selected Committee.
Can I attend a meeting?
Members of the public may attend any meeting of the Council. However, where a decision has been taken to meet in private in accordance with Section 50A(4) and (5) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, members of the public and the media will be cleared from the meeting for the deliberation of the relevant items.
All meetings of the Council take place in the Council Chambers, Council Offices, High Street, Elgin IV30 1BX unless otherwise stated. Live webcasts are available to the public to watch meetings virtually. Due to ongoing Covid restrictions public attendance at in-person meeting is still restricted.
Can I watch the meeting?
All meeting of the Council are webcasted and streamed live on the Council’s webcasting page. Webcasts are archived after each meeting and are available to view in the webcast library for 12 months following the meeting.
How soon before the meeting will the agenda/papers be available?
The Agenda for any meeting is available to view online and at the Council Offices, approximately five working days before the meeting. You can view the Committee Papers on the Agendas, Reports and Minutes page where there is a heading for each Committee and the date of the meeting that you are interested in.
Can I speak at committee meetings?
Members of the public may not speak at ordinary meeting of the Council. Exceptions to this are when a petition is submitted to the Council. When a petition is submitted to the Council and meets the required criteria, it will be heard at an initial hearing during the next appropriate scheduled Committee meeting. The person submitting the petition (petitioner) will be invited to introduce their petition to the Committee who will consider the issue. Full information about the process of how the petition is heard can be found in the petition process.
At special meetings of the Planning and Regulatory Service Committee where a hearing has been convened, objectors and those submitting representatives on the application can speak on planning applications. Details on submitting a comment on a planning application can be found here.
Contact Us
Committee Services
Council Offices
High Street
Elgin
IV30 1BX
01343 563014
01343 540183