Thursday, June 24, 2010

Top Secret HDC

There is a public consultation about whether HDC should have an Elected Mayor or an Executive leader. Great, so I thought I would respond to this consultation. I asked for a reply to my e-mail submission and recently got one. The e-mail thanked me for my submission and this would be forwarded to the Strategic Review Working Group for consideration.

I therefore replied and asked for the date, agenda and minutes of the Strategic Review Working Group. In reply HDC informs me the Strategic Review Working Group is a private meeting and therefore I cannot have this information.

What is so SECRET about whether HDC should have an Elected Mayor or an Executive Leader? A PUBLIC consultation is being held but the results are being discussed in SECRET. From what I've read HDC wants an Executive Leader. Is this why the whole issue is being kept SECRET?

I know the Overview and Scrutiny Panels are pretty useless, but this is one of many issues which should be discussed in PUBLIC. Why doesn't the Cabinet use these Panels to do consultations. Maybe I've answered my own question here with the Panels being pretty useless. Easier to hide these discussions under the veil of SECRECY.

Eric Pickles has called for more transparency in local government. Obviously, the Conservatives at HDC disagree.

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