Part 4 - Rules of access to information about the County Council's formal business
Below are the rules of access to information about the County Council's formal business.
- 1 - Introduction
- 2 - The public's right to attend meetings
- 3 - The public’s right to obtain copies of the agenda to meetings and reports and documents that are to be discussed at meetings
- 4 - Sub-committees, panels and groups
- 5 - Decisions by the Leader of the Council, Cabinet Members and Officers
- 6 - Minutes of meetings and executive decisions
- 7 - Charges for the supply of agenda, reports and background papers
- 8 - The special rules that apply to “key decisions”
- 9 - Exceptions to the need to publish notice of a key decision 28 days in advance
- 10 - The general exception rule
- 11 - The special urgency rule
- 12 - Scrutiny committees
- 13 - Elected Members’ additional rights of access to information
- 14 - Additional rights of access to information by Scrutiny Committees
- 14 - Elected Members’ duty of confidence
- Appendix to rules on the public's right of access to information about the council's formal business
- All decisions that are made by the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Members under delegated powers must be recorded in writing. After the decision has been made, the public are entitled to look at the record of decisions that are made by Leader of the Council and Cabinet Members and obtain copies of any decision. Paragraph 5.8 of Section 5 Part 3 of the Constitution specifies the content of the decision record.
Decisions that are made by Officers under delegated powers must be recorded in writing. After the decision has been made, the public are entitled to look at the record of decisions made by Officers. Paragraph 5.8 of Section 5 Part 3 of the Constitution specifies the content of the decision record.
Subject to paragraph 16 below, before any key decisions are made by the Leader of the Council, or Cabinet Members, or key decisions are made by Officers, at least five days before the day of the decision every report that is to be considered and any “background paper” that was relied on to produce the report shall be available for public inspection.
The public is entitled to look at and obtain copies of decision records and background papers provided they are no more than 6 years old (4 years old in relation to background papers) (time begins to run from the date of the decision).