On 14 August 2021, Pavilion Labour’s GC discussed issues of confidentiality in local government, how this may impact the work of the Labour Group of councillors and the role of Labour Group observers. The resolution adopted by a majority follows below.
Ensuring the highest quality of deliberation in Labour Group meetings and thus in the Council
Labour Group (and other party group) meetings are a key part of deliberation in the council. For informed debate and adequate questioning, issues must be thought through in advance. This means adequate documentation should always be circulated to participants in advance.
In officer briefings on possible plans, it means including all pros and cons, and alternatives. Members need the fullest possible information to support policy debate in party groups. The presence of party observers or the fear of leaks mustn’t inhibit officers from providing relevant information. Party & council training and assurance processes for observers, and the same precautions against leaks as would apply in a committee meeting, can ensure this.
All relevant information that can be made available should be made available. A whole document should not be withheld just because part of it is sensitive. Redactions to documents should have an explanation attached. Members should always be given access to information that could be useful to them as a councillor unless there is a strong reason not to grant such access.
Most if not all of this already happens informally. But in a council finding its political feet, it needs to be clarified and made official. This party therefore asks the LCF to draft, and the Labour Group to present, proposals:
- To the NEC, for amending Labour Group standing orders to require: all relevant documents to be circulated in advance of Group meetings, particularly a document covering the substance of any briefing or presentation.
- To the Council/Policy and Resources Committee, for amending the Council’s Code of Conduct on Member-Officer Relations to require that:
a. officer briefings to political groups should present a pre-circulated report, with content added only in response to questions and requests for clarification;
b. guidance on impartiality of officer advice applies to briefings to political groups as it does to briefings of committee members;
c. document security measures are applied to political group meetings in the same way as they would be applied to meetings of committee members;
3. Also to the Council/Policy and Resources Committee, for amending the Council’s Access to Information Procedure rules, the Code of Conduct for Member-Officer Relations and Guidance for Members and Officers Regarding Confidential Information to require that:
a. a system minimally redacting documents, and flagging detailed reasons for each redaction, be put in place;
b. the rules for members’ access to information be clarified and made less reliant on officer’s discretion
- To the Council’s Head of Paid Service, for initiating a dialogue on whether, and how, the party’s and council’s confidentiality assurance and/or training procedures need to be altered so as to place non-councillor attendees on the same footing as council members.
- For any action arising from (4) above.
Proposed by Regency Branch
Agreed by a majority by Brighton Pavilion CLP’s General Committee
14 August 2021
Brighton Pavilion Labour Party 