Access rights questions

Here are some questions and answers about London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority meetings.

Can I come to a meeting?

Yes, unless the meeting has any confidential or exempt information to discuss. If it has, this will be shown on the agenda, and the press and public will be excluded for the confidential or exempt items only, which are normally considered as the last items.

Can I have access to the agenda and reports?

Agendas are papers detailing the business that will be discussed at the meeting. The agenda contains a summary of the business, together with detailed reports on each topic for discussion. You can see agendas and reports (except any which are confidential or exempt) on London Fire five days before the meeting, or as soon as a meeting has been called, or the item is added to the agenda if that is less than five days before the meeting. You can also see them at Hampton House, 20 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7SD, Room 628 between the hours of 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. on working days. Spare copies are available to the public at the meeting and to the media on request.

Can I inspect minutes of the meeting?

Yes. After a meeting and once the minutes have been signed, a copy of the minutes (or, if any of the meeting was held in private, a summary of what took place in private,) together with the agenda and reports (except any which are confidential and exempt), will be available on London Fire. You can also examine the documents at Hampton House, 20 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SD, Room 628 between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm on working days. You have the right to inspect these papers for six years from the date the meeting took place.

Can I inspect background papers?

Yes. Members of the public may also inspect a list of background papers for any report (except those reports containing "exempt" or confidential information) and a copy of each of the documents included in that list. This right is available as soon as the report to which the list relates is published; and continues for four years from the date of the meeting. (In the case of the public right to inspect background papers, the right is subject to their production as soon as is reasonably practicable after the request is made). Background papers disclosing confidential or exempt information do not have to be listed; unless they are listed, they will not be open to inspection.

Background papers are documents which relate to the subject matter of a report, disclose any fact or matter on which the report is based, and have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report - but exclude any published work. Requests for inspection of such documents should be made to Democratic Services who will arrange for the production of such documents as soon as reasonably practicable after the request.

Do members have additional access?

Yes and no. Any document in the possession or under the control of the Authority, which contains material relating to any business to be transacted at a meeting, is open to inspection by a member of the Authority. But a document that discloses certain specified categories of exempt information will not be open to inspection by a member. These categories relate mainly to personal information, information relating to crime or legal proceedings, or matters concerned with negotiations or industrial relations.

Can I get the name and address of every member of LFEPA?

Yes. The LFEPA must maintain a register stating the name and address of every member of the Authority, whether he/she is an Assembly representative or a borough representative; and the name and address of every member of each committee or sub-committee of the Authority. The register is open to inspection by the public at Hampton House, 20 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SD, Room 628 between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm working days. You can also see members' profiles.

The Authority must also maintain a list specifying the powers delegated [ PDF 332kb] to its officers, and stating the title of the officer by whom each of those powers is exercisable. The list is open to public inspection, but excludes delegations of less than six months duration.

Who can inspect the LFEPA's financial documents?

A member of the Authority has a right to inspect its accounts. Also, any local government elector for the Greater London area has the right to inspect an order for the payment of money made by the Authority; and the right to inspect the statement of accounts prepared by the Authority under the Accounts and Audit Regulations 1996.

At the audit of the Authority's accounts by the external auditor, any member of the public may inspect the accounts to be audited and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts relating to them - except that no personal information about a member of the Authority's staff is required to be disclosed.

The Authority must prepare a report on construction or maintenance work it has undertaken in any financial year and must make the report open to public inspection, by not later than 30th September following the end of the year concerned.

Documents deposited with the Authority

Documents may be required to be deposited with a proper officer of the Authority, either under an Act of Parliament or statutory instrument, or pursuant to the Standing Orders of either House of Parliament. A person interested in any such document may inspect it. Requests should be made to the Head of Democratic Services, Hampton House, 20 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7SD.

Other documents

Any report received from the Local Government Ombudsman under section 30 of the Local Government Act 1974 must normally be open to public inspection for a period of three weeks; but the Ombudsman may direct that a particular report shall not be publicly available.

Where a public inquiry is to be held into a compulsory purchase order made by the Authority, a statement of the Authority's case to the inquiry, together with copies of any documents it intends to submit to the inquiry, must be made available for inspection by any member of the public on request. (The Authority has not made any such Order and [at the time of this revision of this document] has no plans to do so).

The Local Government (Inspection of Documents) (Summary of Rights) Order 1986 lists many other statutory provisions under which documents are required to be available to the public. None of the listed provisions applies to the Authority, except for the matters mentioned in who can inspect the LFEPA's financial documents?

How much does the Authority charge for inspecting its papers?

The Authority does not charge you to inspect background papers (see - Can I inspect background papers?). If you want to inspect deposited documents (see - Documents deposited with the Authority) we charge 10p per inspection plus 10p for every hour for which the inspection continues after the first hour. Otherwise no payment is required for inspecting documents.

A member of the public who is entitled to inspect a document may (unless copyright law forbids it) make copies of, or extracts from it, or require a photographic copy of, or extract from, the document. Copies will be supplied free of charge, up to 30 sheets at any one time. For larger amounts, a charge of 3p a sheet will be made.

'Getting your voice heard at LFEPA Authority Meetings'

The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority welcomes views from community and business groups as this helps to inform what we do. To help you, we have a procedure which allows you to give your views to Members at an Authority meeting:

• Deputations guide [ PDF 60kb]
• Deputations guide [RTF 175kb]

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