The Council cabinet met at the end of March for two hours.
The main items dealt with on-street parking and the recycling facilities contract. but we can’t say much more than that, because the meeting was in private and confidential session. The minutes have been published now , but don’t say much! (the secret minutes say more). Anyway, these are the public minutes:
94 SOUTH ESSEX PARKING PARTNERSHIP
The Executive considered the exempt report of the Head of Planning and Transportation on whether the Authority should join the South Essex Parking Partnership.
Members noted the background to the current position and discussed pertinent considerations.
Key aspects of the discussion and the Executive?s decisions on this matter are set out in the exempt appendix to these minutes.95 MATERIALS RECYCLING FACILITY
The Executive considered the exempt joint report of the Head of Environmental Services and the Head of Legal, Estates and Member Services on the Materials Recycling Facility contract.
Members noted the latest advice received and discussed the options available to the Council.
Key aspects of the discussion and the Executive?s decisions on this matter are set out in the exempt appendix to these minutes.
The meeting
“Exempt” means confidential.
Are the cabinet happy to join the on-street parking partnership with other councils? Do they think it is a good deal? A lousy deal? Will it allow residents to press for residents parking schemes? Will it stop them? We can’t tell you (at least not yet).
Why did the head of Environmental Services and the council’s chief legal officer prepare a joint report on one of the recycling contracts? We can’t tell you that either….
Maybe they required legal advice to see what liability the council will have when the [edited] men that collect the bins continue to damage people’s property when they haphazardly dump the bins back on their driveways.
Can you ast least tell us why the cabinet need to treat parking as a secret?
It’s not so much parking, more the details behind joining the parking partnership.
Admin, it still raises questions about why the joining of the partnership is so secretive. Is the partnership a public body? If so, it’s hard to think of what is so sensitive if there are no commercial issues.