Issue - meetings

By Councillor Lang – Consideration of Private Business

“Council:

1)       notes that, at its meeting on 21 March 2023, the Policy & Sustainability Committee considered a report on 'Four Seasons Healthcare - North Merchiston and Castlegreen Care Homes'.

2)       acknowledges the commercial sensitivity that rightly led the committee to consider this item in private.

3)       notes an addendum was tabled to the report which extended beyond the specific case of the two care homes and resulted in a majority decision to agree:

          a)       that 'the council’s role as a care provider is best met through council owned and operated care homes' and,

          b)       that 'CECs presumption going forward should be in favour of an         in-house model', and for 'the Convenor to communicate this     council position to EIJB'.

4)       recognises this addendum was never published publicly and that any group which may have wished to give a deputation on these general issues would not have been able to do so.

5)       further recognises that members of the public were excluded and the webcast turned off for the debate and vote on the general issues covered by the addendum.

6)       agrees the Council should aspire to the highest levels of openness, transparency and accountability in its decision making.

7)       recognises that, whilst there will be individual cases and sensitive matters which require consideration in private, discussion and decisions on general policy issues should always be held in public unless there are exceptional circumstances.

8)       requests that officers consider the issues which arose on 21 March 2023 and reports back to Council within six months with options on how procedures could be amended to ensure discussions on general issues and decisions on policy are taken in public, even when the catalyst for such a discussion comes from a private agenda item.”