Representation to the CIRS Scrutiny Committee Sept 26, 2017. On June 27, this scrutiny committee resolved to delegate scrutiny of the CDS broadband programme to an ongoing/standing task group of four councillors which takes evidence in private, behind closed doors with press and public excluded; with witnesses prohibited from recording proceedings and with no formal minutes taken. This is contrary to the DCC Articles of Constitution [Part 2, Article 3.1(d)] and Principle 5 of the Nolan Principles. It is also contrary to the expectations of the Secretary of State for Local Government as expressed at the 2017 Local Government Association Conference. I have previously given evidence on broadband roll out to a House of Commons Select Committee and a District Council Task and Finish Forum. (Note the word “finish”). All were in public with press and public present and fully minuted or webcast. Only your committee wants to scrutinise this subject in camera. The Terms of Reference for your standing task group say it will be “ongoing – until broadband roll out is complete”. For Phase 2 that is December 2019 and for Phase 1 the clawback clause means that CDS is likely to be funding broadband roll out until 2023 and beyond. Under protest I gave evidence to your standing task group on Sept 14 when only two of the four councillors bothered to turn up. Neither had any detailed knowledge of broadband technologies and were not aware of the work of this committee scrutinising CDS over the previous two years. You must know by now how essential fast broadband is to students, families, businesses and the economy of the South West. CDS is the largest programme of it’s kind in England. It was the first to be set up and has the biggest budget. It is however amongst the slowest to achieve the Governments 90% and 95% targets having lost two years through failed procurement attempts which Keri Denton denied at your June 27 public meeting. You are doing a serious disservice to the taxpayers of Devon by relegating scrutiny of this £200M programme and the taking of evidence to a hidden, back room activity irrespective of how well meaning the four councillors involved may be. A complaint about the setting up of your standing task group has been lodged with the Local Government Ombudsman. Graham Long Chairman B4RDS (Broadband for Rural Devon & Somerset) Upottery Parish Councillor Tel: 01823 601382 Mob: 07711 267697
For your convenience the following are the references made in the above statement above: Part 2, Article 3..1(d) of the DCC Articles of Constitution. “The people of Devon also have the right to record or film all or part of the proceedings of any meeting of the Council, its Cabinet or any Committee unless the press and public are excluded for that part of the meeting or there is good reason not to do so, as directed by the Chairman.”
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Extract from Keynote address by Local Government Minister Sajid Javid MP at the 2017 Local Government Conference, July 4-6 in Birmingham: “If people are going to trust their elected representatives, they have to see them working in the harsh light of the public eye, not in comforting shadows behind closed doors. Not only must democracy exist; it must be seen to exist. It can’t be about decisions made in private meeting rooms." The seven Nolan Principles for Standards of Behaviour in Public Life as published 31 May 1995 by the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Principle 5: Openness: Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for doing so. ___________________________________________________________________________
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