COUNCIL chiefs faced fresh pressure this week to publish a secret report into a stormy meeting which saw councillors and senior staff disagree, and two members walk out.

Two reports were commissioned after the contentious meeting in February - one into the procurement row being discussed, and another into what happened on the night.

Both have been delivered by a Local Government Association (LGA) “peer review” team, but only the first has been published. On Wednesday council leader David Carr confirmed he had received the second, but at a meeting that evening both councillors and public speakers called for it to be brought into the open.

In his statement Cllr Carr said: “This report was commissioned from the LGA to give an independent, unbiased view as to whether the actions of any of the officers or councillors attending this meeting breached their respective codes of conduct. I have always been clear that when the rights of staff and members are at issue, as they may be here, that the council must take extreme care to ensure it does not prejudice any potential investigation. That may require a necessary level of confidentiality despite my desire that within CYC, we all, officers and politicians alike, should be as transparent as possible in all that we do.”

Cllr Carr said he is now looking for impartial HR and legal advice into the contents of the report and its implications, and how it could be released.

Cllr Carr added: “I will seek to make this ongoing process as transparent as possible, consistent with the protection of both officers and members’ rights to a fair hearing.”

At Wednesday evening’s meeting independent councillor Mark Warters spoke of his anger the report was being held back when the council leader had said publicly he would share it. It could be a “cover up too far”, Cllr Warters said, and he urged the committee to insist on seeing the “full, un-sanitised” findings.

His comments were echoed by public speaker Gwen Swinburn, who added: “What does it say of the Local Government Association that weeks after the report is presented officers are still withholding it? It brings the whole LGA peer review system into ill-repute.”

Councillors on the committee also called for its publication - including former council leader Chris Steward who said even if it could not be published immediately, the committee should be able to see it privately, or it should be made public once “due process” is completed.

Wednesday’s meeting also saw the first report - into procurement problems at the council - discussed.

The LGA’s Satvinder Rana - one of the three-strong team that compiled it - faced questions as to whether the team had proper evidence and not just “assurance” that the right procedures were in place.

The committee chairman Fiona Derbyshire said there was “frustration” that the report did not go into more detail. “I understand your brief and remit were given to you, but I sense some frustration here and I think if there was a mechanism by which we could get some background information it might give more assurance to members.”