A BELFAST Councillor is calling for greater transparency at Council meetings as decisions continue to be taken behind closed doors.
SDLP Councillor Gary McKeown has forwarded a motion urging the Council to commit to a policy of "transparency by default" – meetings and documents being placed in the public domain unless legally sensitive.
Restrictions would only be permitted in very specific and limited ways and the motion would see Council officers bring forward guidelines to ensure maximum transparency.
Councillor McKeown said: “There is a lot of public concern about how often decisions which affect this city and the people who live here are taking place behind closed doors. This has raised important questions around the transparency of decision-making within the Council and has had a negative impact on public trust.
“This situation is not new and has been a constant throughout my time on council. Repeatedly we see meetings being taken to closed discussion with no members of the public or media present and documents withheld. It's important that people know why this is happening and that the council can properly justify these decisions.
“I believe that the Council owes the public full transparency wherever possible, and while I understand that there will be times when legally sensitive matters are being discussed and there need to be some degree of restriction, all other business should be conducted in public so that ratepayers know exactly what decisions are being made by Councillors and why."
Another decision made behind closed doors tonight at Belfast City Council – this time a proposal to put gates on Crescent Park.
— Cllr Gary McKeown (@garymckeown) January 9, 2024
Spoiler: it was approved.
Decisions that affect the fabric of our city such as parks should be taken in public so people can see how they were reached pic.twitter.com/N3RsRWzA4D
Councillor McKeown continued: “I have brought forward this motion to help restore public confidence and address concerns at the way the Council has been conducting its business.
"Belfast City Council is currently the biggest democratic institution operating in Northern Ireland, so it's important that we show leadership.
"By adopting a policy of ‘transparency by default’ in all of the Council’s work, we have the opportunity to make it an exemplar public body in terms of transparency and openness, so people know exactly how and why decisions are being made that affect them."
