Wednesday, June 30

Too much secrecy implies something to hide

The announcement of tonight's special meeting of the cabinet appeared on the borough website like a rabbit popping out of a magician's hat - so quickly in fact that we wouldn't mind betting the some councillors found out at the same time we did - if not after.
Certainly, we know that some of the items in our week ending feature last Friday came as news not only to our non-political readers but to some elected members as well.
The special meeting is yet another "call in" - when a decision by the cabinet steamroller is questioned and opened up for wider discussion and debate than it gets from the gang of eight behind closed doors.
You might think that this is a celebration of the often trumpeted "openness and transparency" that we're told we now enjoy with the BBI led council.
But no.
The first motion on the agenda is:
Section 100(A)(iv) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information)(Variation) Order 2006, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1, 2 & 4 of Schedule 12A of the Order.
We do know that the two items under discussion are "Confidential Minutes from the Cabinet meeting of 2 June 2010" and "Police Charging at the May Fair Report by the Legal Services Manager" - an issue that at one time threatened the future of the historic fair ... and for all we know, still might.
Following the paper trail back to 2nd June, there is again an item "Exempt Minutes of Cabinet meeting of 21st April 2010" which was discussed in secret, whilst a visit to the minutes of 21st April finds "Confidential Minutes from the Cabinet meeting of 24 March" together with "Appendix 1 to the report on the Update On Boston Health Lifestyles Hub (Cafe)" and a "Management Restructure Report by the Chief Executive."
At the risk of labouring the point, a further trawl through the past in the minutes brings up confidential debate on issues such as the Haven Gallery and public conveniences, outstanding borrowing, and a long running judicial review.
And eventually, emerging from the mists of time and confidentiality comes the news that the council has given away the town's first bank in the High Street to the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire for restoration - losing more than £40,000 along the way and ceding any future commercial benefit from the property.
Yesterday, as we browsed the borough's valuation documents, we found mention of a report to the cabinet in December ... but of the report itself, we could find no trace.
What is it with the BBI and secrecy?
Obviously a small number of matters need to be kept confidential - but only for a while.
Management restructuring, for example, is sensitive in the planning and commissioning stage, but as the people who pay the wages, surely at some point we ought to be told the outcome of such a change, and who is now who within the council. If you've ever tried to discover who the senior officers are at West Street, you're in for a shock - because you can't.
And what's this judicial review? It sounds serious and expensive, and surely something we should know at least a little about.
And one final question: what on earth can be so confidential about the planning of a health cafe that it needs to be withheld from the public domain?
To claim "openness and transparency" in Boston Borough Council is a joke.
The reality is that much of what the council does is done in secret when it need not be - and it makes us wonder what the BBI and its cabinet have to hide.
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