Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013

Access to information

55Community council websites

(1)A community council must make available electronically—

(a)information on how to contact it and, if different, its clerk including—

(i)a telephone number;

(ii)a postal address;

(iii)an email address;

(b)information about each of its members, including—

(i)the member’s name;

(ii)how the member may be contacted;

(iii)the member’s party affiliation (if any);

(iv)the ward which the member represents (where relevant);

(v)any office of the council held by the member;

(vi)any committee of the council to which the member belongs;

(c)the minutes of the proceedings of the council’s meetings and (in so far as is reasonably practicable) any documents which are referred to in the minutes;

(d)any audited statement of the council’s accounts.

(2)Nothing in this section authorises or requires a community council to make available any information that it is prevented from disclosing under any enactment.

(3)In carrying out its duties under subsection (1), a community council must have regard to any guidance issued by the Welsh Ministers.

(4)The requirement to make available the information listed in subsection (1)(c) and (d) relates only to information produced on or after the coming into force of this section.

56Requirement to give public notices electronically

In section 232 of the 1972 Act (public notices), after subsection (1) insert—

“(1ZA)A public notice given by a community council must, in addition to the requirements imposed by subsection (1), be published electronically.”.

57Meetings and proceedings of communities

In Schedule 12 to the 1972 Act (meetings and proceedings of local authorities)—

(a)in paragraph 26(2)—

(i)in paragraph (a), after “be” where it first occurs insert “published electronically and”,

(ii)after paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa)any documents relating to the business to be transacted at the meeting must be published electronically (in so far as reasonably practicable),”,

(b)after paragraph 26(2) insert—

“(2A)The duty of a community council under sub-paragraph (2)(aa) to publish documents relating to the meeting does not apply where—

(a)the documents relate to business which in the opinion of the council is likely to be transacted in private, or

(b)the disclosure of such documents would be contrary to any enactment.”,

(c)in paragraph 30B—

(i)for sub-paragraph (3) substitute—

“(3)The notice must be given—

(a)in writing (but not in an electronic form), or

(b)in an electronic form which meets the technical requirements set by the principal council under paragraph 30C.”,

(ii)in sub-paragraph (7), after “principal council” insert ”or community council”,

(iii)also in sub-paragraph (7), for “council” where it second occurs substitute “principal council”,

(d)in paragraph 30C—

(i)for sub-paragraph (1) substitute—

“(1)For the purposes of paragraph 30B(1), each community council and principal council must provide a facility for notices to be given in electronic form (“electronic notices”).”,

(ii)in sub-paragraph (2), for “The council must set” insert “A principal council must set for its area”,

(e)in paragraph 30E(7), after paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa)by publishing the notice electronically, and”.

58Registers of members’ interests

(1)Section 81 of the Local Government Act 2000 (c.22) (disclosure and registration of members’ interests) is amended as follows.

(2)In subsection (6)—

(a)the words from “copies” to the end become paragraph (a), and

(b)after that paragraph, insert—

“(b)the register mentioned in paragraph (a) is published electronically.”.

(3)In subsection (7), after paragraph (a)(ii), insert—

“(iii)states that the register is available to be viewed electronically, and

(iv)specifies how to access the electronic version,”.

(4)After subsection (7), insert—

“(7A)For the purposes of this section—

(a)section 83(13) does not apply, and

(b)in relation to a relevant authority which is a community council, the references in this section to a monitoring officer are to be read as references to the proper officer of that council (within the meaning of section 270(3) of the Local Government Act 1972).”.