Minutes of Council meeting on December 12, 2000.

97. COUNCIL PARTNERS AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION

A motion on this issue as set out in the resolution below was moved by Councillor Griffiths.

Resolved -

That this Council:

1. welcomes the important role of its external partners in the delivery of district’s 2020 Vision;
2. notes the increasing amount of service delivery and grant-aid dependent on the establishment and smooth-running of partnerships;
3. notes the importance of other bodies in receipt of public money, such as the Health Authority, Health Trusts and SRB Boards in the delivery of the district’s 2020 Vision;
4. notes and welcomes the commitment made by the Council on 18 July 2000 to improving access to information about the Council’s services, activities and decision-making process; and
5. instructs the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Corporate) to undertake an audit of the Council’s strategic partners and other bodies in the District in receipt of funding from central Government to establish:

1. the number of such bodies,
2. the steps they have taken to ensure the public have access to information about their activities and decision-making processes, and
3. what measures the Council can take to ensure its partners and bodies in the district receiving funding from central Government provide greater public access to information about their activities and processes.

98. PUBLIC ACCESS TO INFORMATION

A motion on this issue was moved by Councillor Green.

An amendment moved by Councillor G Miller was defeated.

A further amendment as set out in the resolution below was moved by Councillor Joyce and was carried as the substantive motion.

Resolved -

That this Council calls upon the Chief Executive to carry out a review of the Council’s current policy and practice of public access to information and to report his findings to Executive Committee early in the New Year.

This review should include not only access to information produced by the Council but also ways of making the Council’s procedures more accessible and understandable to the people that it serves including how to make representations to the Council and what issues fall within the Council’s authority.

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