PART 8ACCESS TO MEETINGS AND DOCUMENTS

48Additional rights of access to documents for members of councils

1

Any document which is in the possession or under the control of a council and contains material relating to any business to be transacted at a meeting of the council or a committee or sub-committee of the council must, subject to subsections (2) to (4), be open to inspection by any member of the council.

2

Subsection (1) does not require the document to be open to inspection if it appears to the clerk of the council that it discloses exempt information.

3

But subsection (1) does require (despite subsection (2)) the document to be open to inspection if the information is information of a description for the time being falling within—

a

paragraph 3 of Schedule 6 (except to the extent that the information relates to any terms proposed or to be proposed by or to the council in the course of negotiations for a contract); or

b

paragraph 6 of Schedule 6.

4

In subsection (3), “the council” has the meaning given in paragraph 10(2) of Schedule 6.

5

The Department may by order amend subsections (2) to (4)—

a

by adding to the descriptions of exempt information to which those subsections refer for the time being; or

b

by removing any description of exempt information to which those subsections refer for the time being.

6

The accounts of a council must be open to inspection by any member of the council and nothing in subsections (1) to (5) affects the right conferred by this subsection on a member of the council.

7

The rights conferred by this section on a member of a council are in addition to any other rights which the member may have apart from this section.