Clash over call for openness
Reporter: by BEATRIZ AYALA
Date published: 15 July 2009
A ROW has broken out over a bid to open up meetings held by public bodies.
Councillor Muhammad Uddin is to move a motion at tonight’s Oldham Council meeting urging organisations working with the council to open their meetings to the public.
But Gail Richards, chief executive at NHS Oldham, said she was extremely concerned at the implication that NHS Oldham was not operating as openly as the council.
Councillor Uddin’s motion says: “This council believes that partners acting and meeting in private have the potential to block progress towards achieving greater openness and transparency.”
It calls on groups to open meetings to the public and make meeting agendas and minutes readily available to the press and public.
In a letter to all councillors, Mrs Richards said: “I am extremely concerned to note the implication that NHS Oldham might not currently ‘conform to local government standards of openness’.
“Please be assured that we have always taken openness and transparency extremely seriously, and have endeavoured to meet the highest possible standards since our establishment in April, 2002.”
Councillor Muhammad Uddin said: “We do need to work with all partner agencies and this is not a slight on NHS Oldham.
“The motion is not specific to NHS Oldham, in fact NHS Oldham works better than most partners.
“It’s not a criticism, it’s reflecting what people should be doing. Some people are doing it well, others need to get it into gear.
“The prime example is the £80 million revamp of Oldham College. Nobody knows what’s happened or why.
“Greater transparency and openness, that’s what people need.”
