5.4 "Abstentions will count towards the establishment of a quorum but do not count as votes cast."
This will mean an abstention is just that a decision to not vote. At present it is not the case.(The ability to state why a member abstains remains).
The only rationale for the current situation is the the same rule applies for the Board. To my mind there are reasons why a Board may have such a rule that are not relevant to a policy development body such as Council.
Is everyone happy to make this change ?
Philip