Torbay Council leadership challenged over secrecy

Conservative Chris Lewis said the council excluded the press and public “too often” when items could be discussed in public

A Torbay Council move to go into private session was questioned by senior Conservative Chris Lewis.

He said the council excluded the press and public “too often” when items could be discussed in public.

Cllr Lewis raised the issue ahead of a proposal for the full council to go into private session to consider its waste disposal contract.

The service is due to be transferred from contractor TOR2 to a new council-owned company called SWISco from July.

Liberal Democrat council leader Steve Darling proposed the press and public should be excluded because the issue was “of a commercially sensitive nature”.

His move was seconded by the deputy leader, Independent Darren Cowell.

Councils have the power to go into private to avoid the disclosure of information that should be kept confidential, sometimes known as ‘Part 2’ of a meeting.

But Cllr Lewis, a former chair of the council’s scrutiny committee, intervened.

He said he would support the move on this occasion, but added that important issues could be discussed partly in public before going into private for financial matters.

The Conservative councillor for Preston said: “Too often we exclude the press and public too quickly.”

Cllr Darling said it was a “very valid point” and the Partnership of Liberal Democrats and Independents running the council was trying to be “as open as possible”.

The leader said he would consider for future meetings what opportunities there were to have discussions in public “where appropriate”.

All 36 councillors voted in favour of going into private to discuss the item headed “SWISco Guarantees” in the agenda documents.