Report criticises council's 'culture of secrecy'

A report by auditors found "a lack of transparency" at Epsom and Ewell Borough Council

External auditors have called for more openness in a Surrey council's decision-making after some members described a "culture of secrecy".

A critical report presented to councillors has raised a "significant weakness" in how it makes decisions.

A recent change to the authority's constitution has also been criticised for not being publicly discussed, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council's Senior Leadership Team (SLT) said it would continue working to provide as much transparency as possible.

Quoting the Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Review from March 2024, the report said there was a "universal frustration and confusion around the lack of transparency through the decision-making process".

It concluded there was "an immediate need to make it clear and transparent how decisions are made in a committee system".

But no action seems to have been taken, with external auditors finding the council had updated its constitution in a way that "was not fully discussed in public meetings and not fully transparent", according to the report.

'Need for transparency'

In response, the council's management said: "The senior leadership team believes the council is transparent in its reporting and through committees."

Regarding the issue of the constitution, it said it was "subject to advice and was not suitable for public discussion".

Speaking for the senior management team, the director of corporate cervices told a meeting of the council's audit and scrutiny committee the team completely understood the need for transparency.

"We'll continue to work to provide that as much as possible," he added.

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