The Local Authorities (Access to Meetings and Documents) (Period of Notice) (England) Order 2002

Statutory Instruments

2002 No. 715

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The Local Authorities (Access to Meetings and Documents) (Period of Notice) (England) Order 2002

Made

14th March 2002

Laid before Parliament

21st March 2002

Coming into force

1st October 2002

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 100K(3) of the Local Government Act 1972(1) hereby makes the following Order:

Citation, commencement and application

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Local Authorities (Access to Meetings and Documents) (Period of Notice) (England) Order 2002 and shall come into force on 1st October 2002.

(2) This Order applies in relation to local authorities in England.

Admission to meetings of principal councils

2.  In subsection (6)(a) of section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (admission to meetings of principal councils) for “three clear days”, substitute “five clear days”.

Access to agenda and connected reports

3.  In section 100B of the Local Government Act 1972 (access to agenda and connected reports), in—

(a) subsection (3); and

(b) subsection (4)(a),

for “three clear days”, in each case, substitute “five clear days”.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

Nick Raynsford

Minister of State,

Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions

14th March 2002

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends Part VA of the Local Government Act 1972. Part VA (sections 100A to 100K) of the Act contains provisions about access to meetings and documents relating to those meetings of principal councils in England and Wales, their committees and sub-committees. In particular, public notice of a meeting must normally be given at least three clear days before the meeting is held. The agenda and certain other documents must be open to inspection at least three clear days before the meeting. An item of business may not normally be considered at a meeting unless a copy of the agenda including the item has been available for public inspection for three clear days before the meeting.

This Order extends each of these periods of three clear days to five clear days as respects principal councils in England, their committees and sub-committees.

(1)

1972 c. 70. Part VA was inserted into the Local Government Act 1972 by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985. Subsection (3) of 100K was added by section 98 of the Local Government Act 2000 c. 22. For the application of section 98 of the Local Government Act 2000 and section 100K of the Local Government Act 1972 to Wales, see section 106(3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and see the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/672).