When an agenda is placed on a notice board

Question

Can the public request the papers that parish councillors receive in their packs

Answer 1

Yes.  If the papers are not offered voluntarily by the council they can in due course be demanded via a FOI request.

If it helps, I always worked on the principle that if you have nothing to hide then why hide it.  There will probably varying views on that!

Answer 2

The simple answer is yes. All papers relating to agenda items should be in the public domain unless there is a valid reason not to publish them. This would normally relate to agenda items that will be discussed in private without the public and press in attendance, of which there are very few.

Answer 3

Yes it should although I know a Council that fought tooth and nail to prevent it and lost

What does the Councils publication scheme show or don’t tell me that’s not in the public domain
As John said what have Councils got to hide ?

If they have a website there’s no reason why they can’t post them in advance of the meeting
If they don’t some Councils put the lot on the notice board
If you can’t access them before the meeting try asking for them to be emailed to you each month

But don’t pay as information like this should be readily available and if the Council is to lazy to make it freely available why should you pay

A long time ago I wrote to a Council and they said they’d  charge me 75 pence for three sheets

I wrote back asking for an invoice then paid and then asked them for a receipt they subsequently stopped charging
If you ask via “ whatdotheyknow” I can’t see how they can charge you