Hamilton councillors discuss public excluded meeting policy
Hamilton CEO Barry Harris is to report to councillors on the council’s policy on public excluded meetings.
Hamilton City Council’s CEO Barry Harris is investigating how it is decided which items are discussed in meetings with the public excluded.
The full council meeting ended with a discussion among councillors about the amount of content discussed behind closed doors.
All the councillors who spoke on the topic were concerned too much business was done without public knowledge.
During the meeting Mayor Julie Hardaker shared these concerns, which echoed her 2010 election campaign in when she promised more transparency and a more “open style of leadership”.
She said because each item discussed in private was different, a blanket approach was not possible.
“What we have got from the CEO is he hears us and these issues have been raised and I have raised them personally with him. He is telling us that he will look at the information and that he will look at how the practice is applied,” Ms Hardaker said.
That said, councillors voted on whether to proceed into a public excluded session with Mr Ewan Wilson the only one to vote no.
Interviewed after the meeting Mr Wilson said he believed there was a tendency for councils to hide dirty laundry in confidential meetings.
“I think from here on out we must express to all parties that do business with the council that we are a public body spending public money. We must make sure businesses dealing with the council know that they cannot hide behind a veil of secrecy.”
Mr Wilson said there were certain circumstances in which the public should be excluded such as when real estate deals are being done as these may require confidence and privacy.
Under the Local Government Official Meetings and Information Act at least one of three reasons must be given in order to exclude the public. These are to:
1. Protect the privacy of natural persons, including that of deceased natural persons.
2. Enable the local authority to carry out without prejudice or disadvantage
commercial activities.
3. Protect officers or employees from improper pressure or harassment.
