LibDem Finance Convener emphasises Council openness (Dundee Liberal Democrats)

Dundee Liberal Democrats <info@dundeelibdems.org.uk>

LibDem Finance Convener emphasises Council openness

May 16, 2006 7:00 AM

Striving for open decision making in Dundee

Dundee City Council's LibDem Finance Convener, Cllr Fraser Macpherson, has today (Tuesday 16th May) emphasised that Dundee City Council's democratic structures are transparent and open but that the LibDem/Labour administration was exploring good practice across Scotland.

Following on from a report to the Council's Audit & Risk Management Sub-Committee which reiterated comments from Audit Scotland from the 2005 Best Value Review of the Council, Cllr Macpherson said any criticism which claimed that the Council's decision making process lacked openness did not fully appreciate the processes within the Council and he said that Dundee strives to have an open and transparent decision making process.

"Our elected members appear to like the way we work and all members are members of the major committees. We would argue this results in openness and transparency and any member of the public on a Monday night can come along and see the decision-making process," said Cllr Macpherson.

Cllr Macpherson said the Liberal Democrat/Labour administration was not wholly rebutting Audit Scotland's report but felt the structure worked well.

"We would defend our committee structure and argue that it works. To that extent, we would not agree with Audit Scotland."

In conclusion, Cllr Macpherson said any significant changes needed to come from the electorate - none of the parties in 2003 featured changes to council structures in their manifestos and the administration was looking at good practice across Scotland with a view to looking at the best possible arrangements for the future at Dundee City Council.