Section 100A: Admission to meetings of principal councils., Local Government Act 1972

A meeting of a principal council shall be open to the public except to the extent that they are excluded (whether during the whole or part of the proceedings) under subsection (2) below or by resolution under subsection (4) below.

The public shall be excluded from a meeting of a principal council during an item of business whenever it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that, if members of the public were present during that item, confidential information would be disclosed to them in breach of the obligation of confidence; and nothing in this Part shall be taken to authorise or require the disclosure of confidential information in breach of the obligation of confidence.

For the purposes of subsection (2) above, "confidential information" means—

information furnished to the council by a Government department upon terms (however expressed) which forbid the disclosure of the information to the public; and

information the disclosure of which to the public is prohibited by or under any enactment or by the order of a court;

and, in either case, the reference to the obligation of confidence is to be construed accordingly.

A principal council may by resolution exclude the public from a meeting during an item of business whenever it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as defined in section 100I below.

A resolution under subsection (4) above shall—

identify the proceedings, or the part of the proceedings, to which it applies, and

state the description, in terms of Schedule 12A to this Act, of the exempt information giving rise to the exclusion of the public,

and where such a resolution is passed this section does not require the meeting to be open to the public during proceedings to which the resolution applies.

Where the public are excluded from a meeting of a principal council in England under subsection (2) or (4), the council may also prevent any person from reporting on the meeting using methods—

which can be used without that person's presence at the meeting, and

which enable persons not present at the meeting to see or hear the proceedings at the meeting as it takes place or later.

The following provisions shall apply in relation to a meeting of a principal council, that is to say—

public notice of the time and place of the meeting shall be given by posting it at the offices of the council five clear days at least before the meeting or, if the meeting is convened at shorter notice, then at the time it is convened;

while the meeting is open to the public, the council shall not have power to exclude members of the public from the meeting; and

subject to subsection (7D), while the meeting is open to the public, duly accredited representatives of newspapers attending the meeting for the purpose of reporting the proceedings for those newspapers shall, so far as practicable, be afforded reasonable facilities for taking their report and, unless the meeting is held in premises not belonging to the council or not on the telephone, for telephoning the report at their own expense.

Subject to subsection (7A) nothing in this section shall require a principal council to permit the taking of photographs of any proceedings, or the use of any means to enable persons not present to see or hear any proceedings (whether at the time or later), or the making of any oral report on any proceedings as they take place.

While a meeting of a principal council in England is open to the public, any person attending is to be permitted to report on the meeting.

Subsection (7A) does not require a principal council in England to permit oral reporting or oral commentary on a meeting as it takes place if the person reporting or providing the commentary is present at the meeting.

A person attending a meeting of a principal council in England for the purpose of reporting on the meeting must, so far as practicable, be afforded reasonable facilities for doing so.

Subsection (7C) applies in place of subsection (6)(c) in the case of a principal council in England.

Any person who attends a meeting of a principal council in England for the purpose of reporting on the meeting may use any communication method, including the internet, to publish, post or otherwise share the results of the person's reporting activities.

Publication and dissemination may take place at the time of the meeting or occur after the meeting.

This section is without prejudice to any power of exclusion to suppress or prevent disorderly conduct or other misbehaviour at a meeting.

In this section "reporting" means—

filming, photographing or making an audio recording of proceedings at a meeting,

using any other means for enabling persons not present to see or hear proceedings at a meeting as it takes place or later, or

reporting or providing commentary on proceedings at a meeting, orally or in writing, so that the report or commentary is available as the meeting takes place or later to persons not present.

Section 100A: Admission to meetings of principal councils.

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