2012/3 Secret Meetings

The Labour Cabinet, at their meeting on the 5th September, restarted the Borough plan working party. A report was submitted as ‘Any Other Business’ and councillors not at the meeting did not find out about the report until the 7th!

The working party contains 6 Labour members and 2 Tories (with 2 Labour Substitutes and 1 Tory substitute). Labour has not disclosed the membership of the committee and I await the result of a Freedom of Information Request to see who the real members are.

The working party met on the 19th of September when 7 councillors showed up. Protesters lobbied the secret meeting. After 1 member of the pubic stood in the council chamber the meeting was abandoned. We spotted Cllr O’Brien (Tory Leader), Cllr Smith (Tory substitute) and 5 Labour councillors.

Two weeks later there was a second secret meeting and a far bigger lobby. This time Cllr Wilson was not substituted by Cllr Smith and some of the members went in via the back.

The Following seem to be on the working party based on who has been spotted going to the meetings

Labour

Tories