You are able to attend council and committee meetings as a member of the public. It can be a good way to understand how councils make decisions.

Although the meetings are held in public, parts of the meeting may be held in private when confidential information is being discussed.

We also broadcast some of our meetings live on our democracy website, as well as on our YouTube channel.

You can view an upcoming or past meeting on our democracy website.

How to attend council and committee meetings

There is a space set aside in every meeting for journalists and members of the public. You don't have to let us know in advance if you plan to attend.

You can view the details for each council and committee meeting on our calendar, including the:

• location
• agenda
• contact for the meeting

Questions, petitions and statements during meetings

If you live, work or study within Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole, you can:

• ask a question
• raise a petition
• make a statement