Councils need frank reports

22 Jun 00
Local authority officers should publish full reports of executive decisions taken in private, a constitutional expert told the CIPFA conference.

23 June 2000

Robert Hazell said that after the introduction of Cabinet-style executives, officers writing reports of committee meetings held in private should be as frank as possible to meet the requirements of the proposed Freedom of Information Act. The draft specifies that all decisions taken, together with the reasons and possible alternatives, must be published.

'As an officer, if you are concerned about matters which ought to be in the public domain being kept private, you should publish as full an account as possible' he said.

Hazell, professor of government and director of the constitution unit at University College London, added that it was up to officers to establish a culture of openness under the regime. 'It is the officers who should set the precedents within their councils.'

He warned that the new act will also require disclosure of a much wider range of material in response to requests from the public than at present, with internal memos and even e-mails being open to viewing.

'It will be a general statutory right for any member of the public to ask for any information councils hold,' Hazell said.

PFjun2000

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