Issue - meetings

The Constitution Committee  at its meeting on 22^nd September 2011 had considered proposed changes to the Council’s policy on providing access for Members to Part 2 and confidential reports in order to address perceived problems with the current arrangements. It was proposed that all Part 2 and confidential reports could be released to Members upon request, except for reports containing the following sensitive categories, which would be excluded from automatic release: 

§         Staffing information, where the identity of Officers would be revealed; and

§         Information relating to vulnerable children or adults

Members could access documents within these categories if they were able to demonstrate a need to know. To facilitate this, a revised ‘need to know’ procedure was proposed as set out at Appendix B to the Committee’s report.

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council that the revised arrangements be approved subject to the category relating to staffing information being amended to refer to the identity of individual Officers. It was recommended that the arrangements be introduced initially for a six month trial period, after which they would be reviewed.

A revised version of Appendix B incorporating the amendment agreed by the Constitution Committee had been submitted to Council.

RESOLVED

That

(1)   the proposed approach to access to Part 2 and confidential papers, including the revised ‘need to know’ procedure set out in the revised version of Appendix B of the report to the Constitution Committee, be approved;

(2)   the Borough Solicitor be authorised to make such changes and additions to the Constitution as she considers are necessary in order to give effect to the wishes of Council; and

(3)   the arrangements be put in place for a trial period of 6 months, after which they be reviewed.