At open council meetings the public can ask questions about council business in Public Question Time.

Councillors have to wait until the end of the meeting for their turn. It can be worth waiting for because most formal business has been dealt with, and councillors tend to relax a little. And the topics raised can surprise.

It is a time when councillors can use questions to raise matters of interest, gauge the level of interest in those matters, or finally, if they perceive a positive reaction around the table, pursue the matter in a workshop or future council meeting.

By asking a question a councillor can start a conversation around the table. Unlike most of the meeting that conversation has few rules and can flow freely. It can sometimes feel like a workshop on the run.

The question can be dealt with in various ways.

The question can answered outright by someone in the room.

The question can be taken on notice giving staff time to research and formulate a comprehensive and accurate response.

The discussion can simply fizzle out through lack of interest.

A councillor might be tempted to try to turn talk into action by moving a motion on the spot. Not on.

A general rule of council meetings is that a councillor cannot create a new substantive motion out of thin air (they can move procedural motions though – look it up). That rule is intended to make it difficult to ambush the meeting with a motion that councillors and staff have not had an opportunity to research or discuss or get advice on. The rule can be broken only in an exceptional situation on a serious and urgent matter.

Alternatively, if a councillor wants to force a debate they can give notice of motion for a future council meeting.

Sometimes a councillor might suggest a workshop to explore the question with the benefit of research and staff expertise. If whoever is in the chair (usually the mayor) senses general agreement then the CEO may add the workshop to their meeting action list. An “informal” decision is made. The conversation moves on.

In some meetings the councillor question time is the most interesting (and sometimes entertaining) section, worth the wait.