Regulation 7 Meetings of local authority executives and their committees to be held in public
Subject to regulation 21, a meeting or part of a meeting must be held in public where the council leader, section 11(2) mayor or council manager, as the case may be, or any other person likely to preside at the meeting, reasonably believes that:
a decision to be made at that meeting or part of the meeting will be a key decision; or
a matter which is likely to be discussed at that meeting or that part of the meeting relates to a decision included in the current forward plan, as referred to in regulation 13, where that decision is likely to be made at a meeting of the decision making body concerned within 28 days of the meeting; and
an officer, other than a political adviser or assistant or council manager, will be present at that meeting or part of the meeting where the matter is discussed; or
a matter relating to a key decision to be made by the decision making body concerned is to be discussed with an officer, other than a political adviser or assistant, present; or
a decision is made,
at that meeting or part of the meeting in relation to which a notice under regulation 15 has been given.
For the purposes of sub-paragraphs (b) and (c) of paragraph (1) “meeting” does not include a meeting the principal purpose of which is for an officer of the local authority to brief a decision maker or members of a decision making body on matters connected with the making of an executive decision.
In accordance with section 38 of the 2000 Act, in determining the meaning of “principal purpose” for the purposes of paragraph (2), regard shall be had to any guidance for the time being issued by the Secretary of State.