Allegedly highly critical South Kesteven District Council report to remain 'secret' for another two months

A report said to be highly critical of South Kesteven District Council will remain 'secret' for another two months, a Freedom of Information Request has revealed.

The request, made by Phil Gadd on May 31, asked when the report – a review of how decisions and scrutiny at the council worked – would be presented to the public.

The report, commissioned by the council, was written more than a year ago by an independent auditor for the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny.

The review cost £5,520 to produce.

In his request, Mr Gadd said people were promised open, honest and transparent governance.

“However, months later we are still denied the opportunity to see the results,” he added.

The council's response said “the final report will be published over the next couple of months, together with an action plan".

It promised the document would be published “in its entirety with no redactions”.

“Work has been taking place to consider the recommendations contained within the review and develop an action plan for implementing areas recommended for improvement,” the authority added.

The report, received on August 31, 2021, was previously questioned by Independent councillors Ashley Baxter and Phil Dilks in April after nearly nine months of being hidden.

At the time, Coun Baxter said: “Taxpayers deserve openness and transparency.

"That’s why I wanted to share the secret report with the press and public but was warned not to by the council’s monitoring officer.”

He added the report made “some positive comments” but also said it “also highlights massive gaps”.

It is understood Coun Baxter is continuing with his enquiries following the latest request.

The council was asked for additional comment but a spokesman said it had “nothing to add to this”.