Local Government Act 1972

[F1[F3100C Inspection [F2and publication] of minutes and other documents after meetings.E+W

[F4(1)After a meeting of a principal council [F5 in England] the following documents shall be open to inspection by members of the public at the offices of the council until the expiration of the period of six years beginning with the date of the meeting, namely—

(a)the minutes, or a copy of the minutes, of the meeting, excluding so much of the minutes of proceedings during which the meeting was not open to the public as discloses exempt information;

(b)where applicable, a summary under subsection (2) below;

(c)a copy of the agenda for the meeting; and

(d)a copy of so much of any report for the meeting as relates to any item during which the meeting was open to the public.

[F6(1A)After a meeting of a principal council in Wales the documents listed in subsection (1B) must—

(a)be published electronically, and

(b)remain accessible electronically to members of the public until the expiration of the period of six years beginning with the date of the meeting.

(1B)The documents are—

(a)the minutes, or a copy of the minutes, of the meeting, excluding so much of the minutes of proceedings during which the meeting was not open to the public as discloses exempt information,

(b)where applicable, a summary under subsection (2),

(c)a copy of the agenda for the meeting, and

(d)a copy of so much of any report for the meeting as relates to any item during which the meeting was open to the public.

(1C)As soon as reasonably practicable after a meeting of a principal council in Wales, and in any event before the end of seven working days beginning with the day on which the meeting is held, the council must publish electronically a note setting out—

(a)the names of the members who attended the meeting, and any apologies for absence;

(b)any declarations of interest;

(c)any decision taken at the meeting, including the outcomes of any votes, but excluding anything relating to a decision taken when the meeting was not open to the public as discloses exempt information.]

(2)Where, in consequence of the exclusion of parts of the minutes which disclose exempt information, the document open to inspection under subsection (1)(a) above [F7or the document published under subsections (1A) and (1B)(a),] does not provide members of the public with a reasonably fair and coherent record of the whole or part of the proceedings, the proper officer shall make a written summary of the proceedings or the part, as the case may be, which provides such a record without disclosing the exempt information.]]

[F4(1)Subsections (2) and (3) apply in relation to a meeting of a principal council held before the coming into force of the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020.

(2)Until the expiration of the period of six years beginning with the date of a meeting of a principal council to which this subsection applies, a copy of the following documents must, so far as reasonably practicable, be supplied on request to a member of the public—

(a)the minutes of the meeting, excluding so much of the minutes of proceedings during which the meeting was not open to the public as discloses exempt information,

(b)where applicable, a summary under subsection (2) of this section as it had effect immediately before the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020 came into force,

(c)the agenda for the meeting, and

(d)so much of any report for the meeting as relates to any item during which the meeting was open to the public.

(3)A principal council may charge a reasonable fee for providing a document under subsection (2).

(4)Subsections (5) to (9) apply in relation to a meeting of a principal council held after the coming into force of the Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020.

(5)As soon as reasonably practicable after a meeting of a principal council to which this subsection applies, and in any event before the end of the period of five working days beginning with the day on which the meeting is held, the council must publish electronically a note setting out—

(a)the names of the members who attended the meeting, and any apologies for absence;

(b)any declarations of interests;

(c)any decisions taken at the meeting, including the outcomes of any votes, but excluding anything relating to a decision taken when the meeting was not open to the public as discloses exempt information.

(6)The following documents are to be published electronically as soon as reasonably practicable after a meeting of a principal council to which this subsection applies—

(a)the minutes of the meeting, excluding so much of the minutes of proceedings during which the meeting was not open to the public as discloses exempt information;

(b)where applicable, a summary under subsection (2) below;

(c)the final agenda for the meeting (if not already published electronically under section 100B);

(d)so much of any report for the meeting as does not relate to an item during which the meeting was not open to the public (if not already published electronically under section 100B).

(7)Anything published electronically under this section or section 100B must remain accessible electronically by members of the public.

(8)In subsections (5)(c) and (6)(a) and (d), references to a period when, or during which, a meeting was not open to the public are, if the meeting was not open to the public other than by virtue of section 100A(2) or (4), references to a period when, or during which, in the proper officer’s opinion, it is likely the meeting would not have been open to the public by virtue of section 100A(2) or (4), had section 100A(1) applied.

(9)Where, in consequence of the exclusion of parts of the minutes which disclose exempt information, a document to be published under subsection (6)(a) does not provide members of the public with a reasonably fair and coherent record of the whole or part of the proceedings, the proper officer must make a written summary of the proceedings or the part, as the case may be, which provides such a record without disclosing the exempt information.]]