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St. Florence Notebook - Community Council Meeting - 12th February 2007 Is it proving increasingly difficult to engender an interest in members of the public to become Community Councillors? According to the minutes of St Florence Community Council, dated 12th February 2007, councillors voiced concerns that because a report of a council meeting was produced on an Internet site that named a councillor, it was decided that in future when dealing with sensitive issues the public will be asked to leave the room. Website Comments. No account of the nature of the sensitive issue appears in the council minutes but this website is concerned that the council appears to have taken a decision to exclude members of the public on the simple grounds that the statement of a councillor was made public but not on the alleged sensitive nature of the issue. In the light of all modern thinking that there is a need for more open and democratic government this would seem to be a backward step for a statutory body such as a St Florence Community Council. This website will at all times produce reports that are accurate in regard to meetings of community councils and endeavours to keep residents fully aware of what their elected councillors are discussing and saying in relation to any issue that comes before it. The question should be asked do we really require councillors who are not prepared for their views and statements to be aired to the electorate when discussions take place at a public meeting. There are long established rules that govern when a council should go into secret session and this website endeavours to draw attention to them to increase public awareness of what their council is doing in representing them and their interests. Extract from Arnold Baker, Local Council Administration published by Butterworth, addresses the issue of Confidence and references the Local Government Act 1972 as amended. Confidence and Admission of Strangers A meeting of a council must be open to the public and the press. They can be excluded only by a resolution if publicity would prejudice the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business or for other reason stated in the resolution and arising out of the business to be transacted. The power to exclude is not exercisable generally but only for a particular occasion. Examples of cases when matters can be considered as confidential are given as, engagement, terms of service, conduct and dismissal of employees, terms of tenders, and proposals and counterproposals for contracts, preparation for legal cases in legal proceedings and the early states of any dispute. |