In May, usually on the second Monday and before the regular Town Council meeting, the Town Council fulfils its statutory requirement to hold two Annual Meetings.
Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting is not a meeting of the Town Council. It is a meeting, arranged by the Council, where local residents may speak on any matter of local interest.
In recent years the Council has invited guests to speak at the meeting on topics that are relevant to the town.2017's meeting was themed as "The Best of Bedale" with presentations from Masons Yorkshire Gin, The Millings and Upstairs at Institution. 2018 saw a focus on the relatively new organisations and voluntary groups that are making Bedale a better place to live, and 2019 saw a presentation from Bedale's Community First Responders..
The Bedale Community Award is also presented at the Annual Parish Meeting. The 2019 recipients were Bedale Community Library, and our first posthumous award to the late Bryan Cockburn, accepted by his family.
Any resolution made by the Annual Parish Meeting will be considered by the Town Council, though there is no requirement that the council accept it.
If you would like to hear about a particular project, would like to address the meeting, or would like a particular issue discussed, please contact the Town Clerk.
Annual Meeting of the Council
The Annual Meeting of the Council takes place before the regular Town Council meeting on the second Monday in May. In this meeting the Council elects a Mayor (Chair of the Council) and Deputy Mayor, selects members/delegates to represent the Council on various community groups, agrees the Annual Governance and Accounting Return, and considers its standing orders and other policy and practice documents.