Councillor Geoff Webber, Liberal Democrat, Bilton & Nidd Gorge, has voiced criticism in how meetings have been managed for the engagement group for the Harrogate and Knaresborough Congestion Study.
Councillor Webber has said that the meetings have been held in secret locations and at undisclosed times. Don Mackenzie, NYCC Executive member with responsibility for Highways, has said that is simply untrue.
Cllr Geoff Webber (Liberal Democrat, Bilton & Nidd Gorge) commented:
Whilst I understand why these may be classified as “private” meetings from which the public are excluded I completely fail to understand why the dates and locations of such meetings are treated as “secret”.
The fact that these details are kept secret can only foster an atmosphere of conspiracy and pre-determination.
I believe that we should be as open as possible and that this obfuscation is both unnecessary and unacceptable; I have made my opinions known to the leader and chief executive of the county council.
County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Highways, said:
The meetings of the Engagement Group have now ended.
They were private meetings of delegates of a large number of organisations, ranging from local and national environmental groups, businesses, transport companies and elected members.
It is simply not true to describe them as “secret” – none of the delegates were asked to keep the details of the meetings confidential.
But the meetings were not public meetings so were not advertised just like any other such private meetings.
To call this a conspiracy is plain daft.
