Meetings to be held behind closed doors

By timesecholife on in All News, Leek news

The date has been set for the first of new regular ’closed doors’ meetings to be held by a town council. Leek Town Council has agreed to start meeting confidentially – with no public or press allowed to attend – with meetings which they have entitled ‘Forward Planning Meetings.’

The date has been set for the first of new regular ’closed doors’ meetings to be held by a town council.

Leek Town Council has agreed to start meeting confidentially – with no public or press allowed to attend – with meetings which they have entitled ‘Forward Planning Meetings.’

At last week’s April meeting of Leek Town Council, the date was agreed for the first ‘Forward Planning Meeting’ to be staged the week commencing May 9.

After the date for the meeting was agreed, councillor Stephen Wales quizzed whether members of the public and press could attend the meetings.

It was proposed to hold them in secret, and then it was put to the vote with a majority voting for them to be held behind closed doors.

No named vote took place on the matter, but as far as the Times & Echo could see, some councillors abstained to vote on the matter, and councillors Wales and Emery voted against banning the public and press from the new meetings.

Also at last week’s Leek Town Council meeting, councillors held a lengthy debate as to whether to form a Human Resources Sub-Group within the council.

The suggestion had been made as there has been no appraisals carried out for any of the town council staff, including the Town Clerk, for some years.

Some councillors aired that such a group was not needed to be set up, but just that some councillors could be appointed to carry out such appraisals, and some thought that the new group was needed.

There was further debate over the possible ‘Terms of Reference’ for such a sub-group and also about who would sit on the group.

It was then agreed to hold off on any further discussion about the possibility of setting up a Human Resources Sub-Group until the first ‘closed doors’ Forward Planning Meeting’ of Leek Town Council next month.

ADD A COMMENT