Local Government, Police and Publicity
| Author | Laurence Welsh |
| Published date | 01 July 1972 |
| Date | 01 July 1972 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X7204500307 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
LAURENCE
WELSH
Government Correspondent of The Police Journal
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, POLICE
AND
PUBLICITY
Among the surprises the Government have sprung in pressing
their Local Government Bill through Parliament was the unheralded
introduction of a clause requiring local authorities to admit the
press and the public to committee meetings unless. by express
resolution. such a course was held to be undesirable.
The objective is plain and entirely laudable: to enable electors.
by personal attendance at meetings or by first-hand reports in the
press. to understand what authorities are doing and why. What
is questionable is whether a mandatory provision of this kind is
the best way of doing it.
Whether the requirement is to extend also to sub-committee
meetings and those of police authorities. which have the special
feature
that
they comprise magistrates as well as councillors.
remains to be seen. At this stage the subject can be examined only
on general grounds. leaving on one side the question how far the
principle is to operate.
The law as it stands requires local authorities to admit the
public. including the press. to full council meetings. though they
may be excluded if their presence is deemed to be undesirable in
the public interest - a term of fairly wide definition.
It
could
include matters involving the privacy of individuals or the terms
of property acquisition on which disclosure might give advantage
to vendors.
Such grounds for exclusion are likely to be more numerous
during the proceedings of committees and sub-committees than
in those of the council. At that stage private details seldom have
to be revealed. but in committee this is often inescapable.
Personal matters relating to the conduct. remuneration. pro-
motion or discipline of staff are necessarily often the subject of
consideration by a committee and it could be unjustifiably harmful
to an individual if details were publicly canvassed.
Other personal questions which are debated. often in detail. at
committee meetings are those of individual clients -
..
housing
applicants. people who claim rate rebates. and so forth. Their
personal affairs should whenever possible remain private.
July 1972 220
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