Dorset Council committee set up to promote engagement meets in private

Tuesday’s meeting, with the exception of one item and the election of a chairman and vice-chairman, was due to be held behind closed doors under ‘exempt business’ rules.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service had challenged the need to hold so much of the committee’s business in private claiming that most of the items appear to be strategic or operational, rather than dealing with personal information.

The terms of reference for the committee is to “to assist Dorset Council and its partners to understand and fully comply with legal duties and responsibilities across all services, as they discharge those duties to look after children and care leavers. The Board will also

promote member and workforce engagement, commitment and understanding of the Corporate Parenting principles.”

Items for the agenda on Tuesday included initial health assessments, an annual work programme until March 2019, pathway plans; a report on the council’s services for children who are disabled; children in care and care leavers performance overview and the use of unregulated children’s places.

Said LDR reporter Trevor Bevins: “Most of these items appear to be strategic or operational, looking at how services as a whole are performing, or should be performing, rather than anything to do with individuals, or a personal nature, which should, of course, remain, private.

“But, of course, without seeing the detail it is difficult to judge.

“It has in the past been too easy for councillors to meet behind closed doors rather than actually think through whether items really do need to be held in private, which is why I contested the decision.

“I shall continue to challenge the new council to hold as much of its business as possible in public. As a nation we are supposed to be committed to open democratic accountability.”

After the meeting Sarah Parker, the executive director for children’s services, said that in future more information would be open to the public and press, while not conceding that the meetings themselves would also be open.

“It has been confirmed that as of the next meeting and moving forward, reports will be available to the public.

“The reports being presented at the meeting today will remain exempt due to the personal data that are included.

“We are very much in agreement about the governance being open and transparent,” she said.

The previous shadow council had also been challenged over access to its petitions panels by the LDRS – meetings which were also held in private for no obvious reason.