FORWARD PLAN OF KEY DECISIONS AND EXEMPT ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE CABINET
The County Council is required to publish a document (the Forward Plan) 28 days before a meeting of its Cabinet, setting out:
- Key Decisions to be taken (see definition below).
- Decisions to be taken in private i.e. Exempt Items (see explanation below)
You can access a copy of the latest version of the Forward Plan here. A copy of this document will also be displayed on the County Hall notice board for inspection free of charge during normal office hours (i.e. 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 4.30 pm Friday).
Further details of items to be considered at the Cabinet meeting to which the Forward plan refers will be published in the agenda for the meeting which will also be displayed on the County Hall notice board and on the County Council’s website 5 clear days before the meeting.
Paragraph 5 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 make provision for members of the public to make representations to the County Council on why an exempt item should be considered in public.
Persons wishing to either make representations as described above or obtain further details in respect of any issues referred to in the Forward Plan should contact the officer listed below:
- Mr. P. Hitchings (E-mail: Peter.Hitchings@leics.gov.uk)
- Tel: 0116 305 6038
- Democratic Services, Chief Executive’s Department, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester. LE3 8RA.
Items which have been the subject of notices.
The following list shows those notices which have been issued in respect of items which were not published in the Forward Plan:
Notice in respect of Medium Term Financial Strategy - Cabinet, 9 April 2013
Notice in respect of Exception to Contract Procedure Rules for New Social Fund – Cabinet, 16 January 2013
Key Decisions
In the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 a “key decision” means an executive decision, which is likely—
(a) to result in the relevant local authority incurring expenditure which is, or the making of savings which are, significant having regard to the relevant local authority’s budget for the service or function to which the decision relates; or .
(b) to be significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in an area comprising two or more wards or electoral divisions in the area of the relevant local authority. .
Categories of Exempt Information
Schedule 12A (Access to Information: Exempt Information) of the Local Government Act 1972 lists the following categories of Exempt Information.
[NOTE – All categories are subject to the application of a public interest test – see paragraph 10.]
- Information relating to any individual.
- Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.
- Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
- Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.
- Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.
- Information which reveals that the authority proposes –
(a) to give under any enactment a notice under or by virtue of which requirements are imposed on a person; or
(b) to make an order or direction under any enactment
- Information relating to any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime.
Public Interest Test – Paragraph 10
The above information is only exempt information if and so long as, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
Town and Country Planning
Information is not exempt information if it relates to proposed development for which the local planning authority may grant itself planning permission pursuant to regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992.
Page Last Updated: 14 May 2013
