Committee Meetings
Loughton Town council has amended its standing orders to make it easier for members of the public to address any of its committee meetings. This opportunity has been available for some while, and people wishing to take advantage of it must register their request in advance. The deadline for registering a request to speak is now 3pm on the day of the meeting. This gives local residents more time to find out what is on the agenda and decide if they would like to have an input at the meeting. Written representations to the Planning & Licensing Committee must also be received by 3pm on the day of the meeting. Committee agendas can be seen on the Agendas & Minutes page of our website, and a notice listing the matters to be discussed at meetings is also placed on council noticeboards. A copy of the standing orders is also available on the Documents & Policies page of our website - see appendices B and C for rules on addressing a meeting.

Code of Conduct
The Council has adopted a Code of Conduct which lays down the standards of behaviour expected of councillors. Members must declare if they have a personal and/or prejudicial interest in a matter under consideration by the council. If they find they do have a personal interest which could prejudice their views on a particular matter, they are not permitted to participate in the deliberations.
One requirement of the Code is that councillors submit a form listing their interests, within certain categories. The Register of Members’ Interests is a public document, and can be inspected at the Civic Offices, Epping, and the Town Council’s Buckingham Court offices.

Terms of Reference
The Terms of Reference of the committees are given in the Standing Orders (Appendix A), which can be downloaded from the Documents & Policies page.

Environment and Heritage
Chairman Caroline Pond   |   Vice Chairman Chris Pond

The overall purpose of this committee is to discharge effectively and economically the Council's duties in relation to the environment of Loughton and its heritage, and to develop policies in this sphere.
The Environment and Heritage Committee usually meets every eight weeks.

• Allotments, cemeteries, war memorials
• Bus shelters, seats, litter bins, street furniture, salt/grit bins
• Alleyway name plates, drinking fountain, heritage plaques
• Best dressed Christmas window competition, Christmas lights on Kings Green
• Maintainance of planters in the Broadway, Broadway toilet
• Historical facilities, heritage, conservation areas, listing of buildings, museums
• General amenities
• Tourism, traffic, transport, public transport, road safety

The Local Planning Authority for Loughton is Epping Forest District Council. The District Council is responsible for drawing up the Local Plan for the district; this sets out the planning policies for the area and provides the framework for assessing planning applications. The District Council receives all planning applications and decides if permission can be granted; the planning officers liaise with the applicant, visit the site and gather observations and comments from interested parties e.g. neighbours and from statutory consultees such as the Town Council.
The Town Council receives notice of all planning applications in Loughton and these are considered by the Planning Committee. The committee looks at the plans and discusses all aspects of the application and its comments are then forwarded to the District Council. The comments are taken into account when the decision on the planning application is made. Because most of the town councillors are Loughton residents they can bring their local knowledge and expertise into their deliberations. They often know of something which may affect or be affected by a particular application, which they can bring to the attention of the District Council.
In order to meet statutory deadlines, the Planning & Licensing Committee normally meets fortnightly.

The overall purpose of this committee is to discharge effectively and economically the Council's duties in the sphere of recreational and leisure activities and to develop policies in this area.
The Committee has responsibility for open spaces, playgrounds, Roding Valley recreation ground and Willingale Road playing field and Kingsley Hall. The committee is responsible for the development of the new Loughton Community and Youth Centre in Borders Lane.
The Committee has responsibility for Home, water and community safety; Arts, recreational, social and cultural activities and Community and welfare matters.
The Committee is involved with promotion and development of sports, playing fields, recreation grounds, open spaces, and youth facilities. The Recreation Committee usually meets every eight weeks.

Resources and General Services
Chairman Stephen Pewsey   |   Vice Chairman Suzanne Harper

The Resources and General Services Committee takes an overall view of the Council and its activities, reviewing aims and objectives, the resources available, and the general administration of the Council. It has a special responsibility for monitoring and reviewing the Council’s finances. Every year the Committee receives estimates of income and expenditure from all the committees for the ensuing financial year. These are considered and the Committee draws all the figures together and recommends to the Council a reasonable figure for the precept for the following year.
As well as looking after the finances, the Committee has a general responsibility for the Council’s assets, staffing, Best Value, civic activities, the Town Mayor’s badge of office, public relations and the Council’s web site.
The Committee has responsibility for the Town Council's premises at Buckingham Court.
The Resources and General Services Committee usually meets every eight weeks.