COUNCILLORS have discussed the ‘fine line’ between withholding information due to commercial sensitivity and the public interest.

The standards sub-committee met at the Town Hall on Wednesday.

But its meeting was briefly disrupted twice following test fire alarms, with a message coming from the speakers in the building echoing around the site.

It said: “This is a fire alarm, please evacuate the building immediately.”

The Local Government Ethical Standards review by the committee on standards in public life, chaired by Lord Evans of Weardale, came before members.

The report says decision-making in councils is getting more complex at a time of ‘rapid change’ in local government – while highlighting the increased commercial activity and partnership working.

It said: “This complexity risks putting governance under strain.

“Local authorities setting up separate bodies risk a governance ‘illusion’, and should take steps to prevent and manage potential conflicts of interest, particularly if councillors sit on these bodies.

“They should also ensure that these bodies are transparent and accountable to the council and to the public.”

The report also says ‘an ethical culture is an open culture’.

“A local authority should take an open approach to its decision-making, with a presumption that reports and decisions should be public unless there are clear and lawful reasons that the information should be withheld,” it added.

“We have been concerned by reports of councils relying unnecessarily on commercial confidentiality as a reason to withhold information, and of using informal working groups or pre-meetings in order to hold discussion out of the view of the public, in full cabinet or full council.”

Members gave their views on the recommendations and best practice put forward by the committee on standards in public life.

They were also reminded about the access to information and scrutiny processes available in the council.

Financial details surrounding deals and contracts are often discussed in part two in private.

Cllr Colin Froggatt said: “As it stands where there is a commercial interest, it is a fine line between what is commercial confidentiality and what is public interest.”

Committee chair Cllr Chris Fitzsimmons added: “I dislike part two on principle but I recognise there is a need for it.

“But I have always thought that eventually part two could be published or declassified.”

The Labour-run council’s decision to buy Birchwood Park for £211 million in September 2017 is one of the high-profile deals where financial details were discussed in part two by the authority’s executive board.