ACCESS TO INFORMATION PROCEDURE RULES
1. SCOPE
These rules apply to all meetings of the Council, Overview Panels, Scrutiny Panels, Statutory Boards, Area Forums, the Standards Board and public meetings of the Cabinet (together called meetings).
2. ADDITIONAL RIGHTS TO INFORMATION
These rules do not affect any more specific rights to information contained elsewhere in this Constitution or the law.
3. RIGHTS TO ATTEND MEETINGS
Members of the public may attend all meetings subject only to the exceptions in these rules.
4. NOTICES OF MEETING
The Council will give at least five clear days notice of Cabinet, Overview Panel and Scrutiny Panel meetings and at least three clear days notice of any other meetings by posting details of the meeting at The Town Hall, Bourne Avenue, Bournemouth.
5. ACCESS TO AGENDA AND REPORTS BEFORE THE MEETING
The Council will make copies of public agenda and reports available for inspection at the Town Hall at least five clear days before meetings of the Cabinet, Overview Panels and Scrutiny Panels and at least three clear days before all other meetings. Where strategic reports and other significant items containing factual and/or statistical information are being provided to Overview Panels or Scrutiny Panels, such reports should be made available well in excess of 5 working days prior to the meeting. If an item is added to the agenda later, the revised agenda (where reports are prepared after the summons has been sent out, the Head of Law and Corporate Governance shall make each such report available to the public as soon as the report is completed and sent to Councillors) will be open to inspection for the time the item was added to the agenda.
6. SUPPLY OF COPIES
The Council will supply copies of:
(a) any agenda and reports which are open to public inspection;
(b) any further statements or particulars necessary to indicate the nature of the items in the agenda; and
(c) if the proper officer thinks fit, copies of any other documents supplied to Councillors in connection with an item.
to any person on payment of a charge for postage and any other costs.
7. ACCESS TO MINUTES ETC AFTER THE MEETING
The Council will make available copies of the following for six years after a meeting:
(a) the minutes of the meeting or records of decision taken, together with reasons, for all meetings of the cabinet excluding any part of the minutes of proceedings when the meeting was not open to the public or which disclose exempt or confidential information;
(b) a summary of any proceedings not open to the public where the minutes open to inspection would not provide a reasonably fair and coherent record;
(c) the agenda for the meeting; and
reports relating to items when the meeting was open to the public.
8. BACKGROUND PAPERS
1. List of Background Papers
The author will set out in every report a list of those documents (called background papers) relating to the subject matter of the report which in his or her opinion:
(a) disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based; and
(b) which have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report
but does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information (as defined in Rule 9) and in respect of Cabinet reports, the advice of a political advisor.
2. Public Inspection of Background Papers
The Council will make available for public inspection for four years after the date of the meeting one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers.
