John Pugh challenges secrecy over Sefton Council business projects

Sefton’s addiction to secrecy has reached new farcical levels. That's the view of Lib Dem opposition leader, John Pugh, after an attempt to shed light on some the Council’s business ventures was blocked and resulted in him being denied sight of Council documents shown to the Sefton Cabinet over 6 years ago………... because they are “commercially confidential”. 

Cllr Pugh was looking into the original aims behind two of the Council’s projects- Sandway Homes that still owes the council taxpayer £8M and the Southport Market, which was set up to make a £100,000 annual profit, but routinely turns in a loss of far more than that.

“I wanted to be fair ”, says Cllr Pugh, “ and fully understand the original thinking behind these projects.

These documents had been on a Cabinet meeting agenda and classified originally as “press and public excluded”  which happens at times for some tightly-defined, specific reasons. It was unthinkable that any of those reasons would apply six years later when Sandway Homes has been wound up. However, in Sefton it seems like press, public and ordinary councillors are to be excluded forever from key documents that shape the decisions of Sefton, which is ,when I last looked, a public body, spending our money.”

The ridiculous thing is though that 5 of the original 8 councillors who saw the 6 year old documents I sought are no longer on the Council.That means that there are at least 5 ordinary members of the public who know something that 95% of the current councillors, elected by the public, can’t be told. "

“Silly as it is”, says Cllr.Pugh," You can’t help thinking it’s all about saving the Council's blushes not observing commercial confidentiality.” 

 Cllr.Pugh gives more detail here https://youtu.be/FvaoXZnGgdc