Composition, Terms of Reference, Accountability records of the Conservation Advisory Group

The request was successful.

Dear Brighton & Hove Council,

Please supply under the Freedom of Information Act the composition, Terms of Reference, requirement for democratic accountability and record of the most recent meeting of the Conservation Advisory Group. Please also include these documents in the FOI publication scheme in future.

I have previously requested these documents from officials and been refused access.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Freeman

Freedom Of Information, Brighton and Hove City Council

Thank you for your request for information and I confirm we shall
respond as quickly as possible but not later than 12 February 2010.

Wendy Kassamani
Information Compliance Officer
Brighton & Hove City Council
Tel: 01273 296636

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Wendy Kassamani, Brighton and Hove City Council

3 Attachments

Regarding your request for information under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000: Ref: foi/037/10

Please find set out below the information in response to the above
request:

"Please find attached terms of reference of the Conservation Advisory
group, which includes details of organisations entitled to attend; the
report authorising the group and its terms of reference and a copy of the
draft minutes of the most recent meeting."

Should you have any queries concerning this request please contact me,
remembering to quote the reference number shown above.

If you are not satisfied how your request has been handled, you can
appeal. Please write to:

Freedom of Information Appeals

Room 413

Brighton & Hove City Council

Hove Town Hall

Norton Road

Hove BN3 4AH

[1][email address]

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you can escalate your complaint to the Information Commissioners Office.
The contact details are:

The Information Commissioners Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone number: 01625 545745

e-mail: [2][email address]

Website: [3]www.dataprotection.gov.uk

If you have any queries regarding this process, please contact me via the
contact details below.

Wendy Kassamani

Information Compliance Officer

Brighton & Hove City Council

Hove Town Hall

Norton Road

Hove, BN3 4AH

Tel: 01273 296636

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Dear Ms Kassamani,

Thanks to you and your colleagues for the prompt and full disclosure of the documents about CAG that I requested.

Could I please ask whether you can also confirm that that minutes of CAG meetings will be available through the Council website in future, so that we do not have to go through this procedure again?

Yours faithfully,

Peter Freeman

Freedom Of Information, Brighton and Hove City Council

Your email has been forward and a member of this team will respond to
you in due course.

Wendy Kassamani
Information Compliance Officer
Brighton & Hove City Council
Tel: 01273 296636

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Dear Wendy,

Thank you for your acknowledgement of 25 January. I have received nothing further since then and would be grateful for an early reply to my Freedom of Information request of 22 January.

This asked for the Terms of Reference, membership and minutes of the Council's Conservation Advisory Group to be included in the Publication Scheme and posted on the website.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Freeman

Freedom Of Information, Brighton and Hove City Council

I do apologise for the delay and I have sent an urgent email request for
a response.

Wendy Kassamani
Information Compliance Officer
Brighton & Hove City Council
Tel: 01273 296636

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Freedom Of Information, Brighton and Hove City Council

I have now received the following response :

"The city planner has consulted the council's head of democratic
services and the planning lawyer, who advise that the minutes of the
Conservation Advisory Group, will not be placed on the council's web
site, under council meetings, since it does not constitute a Council
body. The meetings are held in private, and are in effect working
meetings at which the constituent groups which make up the 'umbrella'
group as a whole discuss and formulate their considered view in respect
of individual planning applications and from time to time on up-dated
guidance/policy documents as appropriate. This does not form part of a
public consultation process.

That said, their consensus views are formally minuted, and carried
forward into the public domain as reference is made to them where
appropriate in reports to the Planning Committee. On this basis the city
planning team will consult with the Advisory Group on this matter, and
subject to their agreement, future minutes will be placed on the
council's planning web page. "

Wendy Kassamani
Information Compliance Officer
Brighton & Hove City Council
Tel: 01273 296636

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Dear Ms Kassamani,

Thank you for your further reply of 16 March. I look forward to discovering in due course that CAG minutes are to be made available for public use and inspection, and am grateful to you for following up my earlier request.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Freeman