Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Decisions, Documents and Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2001

Access to agenda and connected reports for public meetings E+W

5.—(1) Copies of the agenda for a meeting and, subject to paragraph (2), copies of every report for the meeting shall be open to inspection by members of the public at the principal offices of the authority in accordance with paragraph (3).

(2) If the proper officer thinks fit, there may be excluded from the copies of reports provided in pursuance of paragraph (1) the whole of any report which, or of any part which, relates only to items during which, in the proper officer’s opinion, the meeting is likely not to be open to the public.

(3) Any document which is required by paragraph (1) to be open to inspection shall be so open at least three clear days before the meeting, except that—

(a) where, the meeting is convened at shorter notice, the copies of the agenda and reports shall be open to inspection from the time the meeting is convened, and

(b) where an item is added to an agenda, copies of which are open to inspection by the public, copies of the item (or of the revised agenda), and of any report relating to the item, for consideration at the meeting shall be open to inspection from the time the item is added to the agenda;

but nothing in this paragraph requires copies of any agenda, item or report to be open to inspection by the public until copies are available to members of the executive or, as the case may be, the committee.

(4) An item of business may not be considered at a meeting unless either—

(a) a copy of the agenda including the item (or a copy of the item) is open to inspection by members of the public in pursuance of paragraph (1) for at least three clear days before the meeting; or

(b) where the meeting is convened at shorter notice, from the time the meeting is convened.

(5) Where by virtue of paragraph (2) the whole or any part of a report for a meeting is not open to inspection by the public—

(a) every copy of the report or of the part shall be marked “Not for Publication” and “Ddim i’w Gyhoeddi”; and

(b) there shall be stated on every copy of the whole or any part of the report, by reference to the descriptions in Schedule 12A to the 1972 Act, the description of exempt information by virtue of which the executive or, as the case may be, the committee, is likely to exclude the public during the item to which the report relates.

(6) Except during any part of a meeting from which the public are excluded, there shall be made available for the use of members of the public present at the meeting a reasonable number of copies of the agenda and, subject to paragraph (8), of the reports for the meeting.

(7) There shall, on request and on payment of postage or other necessary charge for transmission, be supplied for the benefit of any newspaper—

(a) a copy of the agenda for a meeting and, subject to paragraph (8), a copy of each of the reports for consideration at the meeting;

(b) such further statements or particulars, if any, as are necessary to indicate the nature of the items included in the agenda; and

(c) if the proper officer thinks fit in the case of any item, copies of any other document supplied to members of the executive in connection with the item.

(8) Paragraph (3) applies in relation to copies of reports provided in pursuance of paragraph (6) or (7) as it applies in relation to copies of reports provided in pursuance of paragraph (1).