Minutes:
Councillor R Potts requested to move a motion to consider agenda item number 7 in public as it was in the public interest. This was seconded by Mr R Rodiss.
The Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Clerk to the Panel, Helen Bradley advised that it was for the Panel to determine whether to hear the report in public or in private. She explained that she had treated the report as exempt for the purposes of publishing the agenda on the basis that the report contained information relating to the financial and business affairs of the OPCC. She acknowledged that the previous report had been considered in public because it covered information that had been considered at planning committee and therefore already in the public domain. There was a distinction to be drawn with the report on the agenda today in that included information regarding the options available to the PCC to bring a resolution to the situation. That information was not yet in the public domain.
She acknowledged that there was a public interest in the matter but it could prejudice the PCC’s options and undermine her negotiating position in relation to those options. She added that considering the matter in public would likely inhibit the Panel’s ability to fully consider the issue. This was because colleagues from the OPCC would be concerned about sharing information that might prejudice their position. She advised the Panel to carefully consider their decision as she did not want any unintended consequences to occur if debated in public and if undermined stretch out the resolution and add additional cost to the public purse.
It was put to the vote and the majority voted that the item be considered in private.
Resolved:
That the resolution failed.
Councillor L Hovvels then moved a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting and was seconded by Councillor D Boyes. It was put to the vote and the majority voted that the press and public be excluded from the meeting.
Resolved:
That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.