Why would Croydon have the public removed from a licensing meeting?

Why would Croydon have the public removed from a licensing meeting?

8:22 AM, 3rd August 2018, About 6 years ago 6

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Croydon Council’s agenda for last Monday’s Licensing Sub-Committee states:

Exclusion of the Press and Public

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

What could this “disclosure of exempt information” be that would be damaging if the press or public heard it? Is this a catch-all cop-out to avoid the public hearing what they’re doing with Landlords money?

I’d be interested in your thoughts, and whether there’s a way we could force them to publish the minutes from this section of the meeting.

Heather


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Comments

Annie Landlord

9:17 AM, 3rd August 2018, About 6 years ago

How friendly is the local press? Could you get them to ask the question of the council and run a story about council secrecy? The disclosure could relate to financial information, a particular licensing case or discussion about a named individual. Definitely worth trying to find out

Ian Narbeth

9:56 AM, 3rd August 2018, About 6 years ago

Hold on a minute. No need to be paranoid. 30 seconds legal research (ie type "Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972" into Google!) yields this: https://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/documents/s50026354/1972%20Local%20Govt%20Act%20Schedule%2012A.pdf
Part 1 covers:
Information relating to a particular employee, former employee or applicant to become an employee of, or a particular officeholder, former office-holder or applicant to become an office-holder under, the authority.
2. Information relating to a particular employee, former employee or applicant to become an employee of, or a particular officer, former officer or applicant to become an officer appointed by:
(a) a magistrates’ court committee, within the meaning of Section 19 of the Justices of the Peace Act, 1979; or
(b) a probation committee appointed under Paragraph 2 of Schedule 3 to the powers of Criminal Courts Act, 1973.
3 Information relating to any particular occupier or former occupier of, or applicant for, accommodation provided by or at the expense of the authority.
4. Information relating to any particular applicant for, or recipient or former recipient of, any service provided by the authority.
5. Information relating to any particular applicant for, or recipient or former recipient of, any financial assistance provided by the authority.
6. Information relating to the adoption, care, fostering or education of any particular child.
7. Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (other than the authority).
8. The amount of any expenditure proposed to be incurred by the authority under any particular contract for the acquisition of property or the supply of goods or services.
9. Any terms proposed or to be proposed by or to the authority in the course of negotiations for a contract for the acquisition or
disposal of property or the supply of goods or services.
10. The identity of the authority (as well as of any other person, by virtue of Paragraph 7 above) as the person offering any particular tender for a contract for the supply of goods or services.
11 Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relating matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office-holders under, the authority.
12 Any instruction to counsel and any opinion of counsel (whether or not in connection with any proceedings) and any advice received, information obtained or action to be taken in connection with -
(a) any legal proceedings by or against the authority, or
(b) the determination of any matter affecting the authority,
(whether, in either case, proceedings have been commenced or are in contemplation).
13 Information which, if disclosed to the public, would reveal 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.
14 Any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention investigation or prosecution of crime.
15 . The identity of a protected informant.

Mick Roberts

12:37 PM, 3rd August 2018, About 6 years ago

Might be to do with it being similar to Nottingham's Labour Council Selective Licensing which was endorsed the Tory Govt-Are any of 'em not crooked?
Where they charge the Landlord £780 who then charges the tenant more rent to pay for it.
And the inspection only costs the council £77.
And they only inspect 10% of houses.
So Inspections only cost £7.70 of the £780.
So what they doing with the other £770 then?
If they not inspecting many, 90% of houses don't get looked at, so how is that improving houses?
Oh, it might be they use YOUR £770 to go after the bad landlords & tenants they already know about.

Ian Narbeth

13:00 PM, 3rd August 2018, About 6 years ago

And it might have absolutely nothing whatever to do with landlords! https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=162&MId=1759 The Licensing Sub-Committee also decides applications for licences to sell alcohol. The preceding item on the agenda was an application for an off-licence https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documents/g1759/Public%20reports%20pack%2030th-Jul-2018%2010.30%20Licensing%20Sub-Committee.pdf?T=10

Mick Roberts

14:06 PM, 3rd August 2018, About 6 years ago

Ha ha, so are u saying I've said my piece for some pub drink License that don't really interest some of us?

Ian Narbeth

14:09 PM, 3rd August 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 03/08/2018 - 14:06
Looks like it 😉 There are plenty of things for landlords to get in a lather about but I think this (non-) story is not one of them.

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