Lib Dems call for fewer council meetings to be kept secret

12.33.41pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 31st May 2007

West Berkshire's Liberal Democrats are calling for secret meetings to be held in public. The call follows an escalation in the number of public interest issues discussed behind closed doors. These include the new 25 year waste contract, and plans for the rebuild of St Bart's School, Newbury, which were discussed last Thursday in a meeting which purposefully excluded press and public.

Councillor Royce Longton, who shadows the waste portfolio, has voiced concerns that these important discussions should be open to members of the public:

"Obviously we appreciate that financial details of any person or company should be kept private. However, it is unnecessary to conduct these meetings behind closed doors. It is certainly not in the public interest that their council is keeping important decisions from them. Waste collections were an important factor in the recent elections - people deserve to know if, for example, they can expect all plastics to be collected, or if their kitchen waste will be collected weekly. This is entirely reasonable and I am calling on the Tories to engage with the public on this important contract which will last for decades. I am also calling on them to hold these important meetings in public wherever possible, and to only exclude highly confidential information."