Parramatta council moves legal status reporting to closed session

Legal cases involving Parramatta council will be discussed in private, shutting the public out from their legal dealings.

The council’s legal cases will be kept behind closed doors after they voted to reverse a transparency decision.

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Legal cases involving Parramatta Council will now be handled behind closed doors.

Councillors at the Monday night council meeting agreed to move the legal status report into closed session to receive more information about the prospect of success of their legal cases. The move effectively shuts the public out of the cases the council is currently fighting in court.

“I would like more information on the prospects of us winning these cases,” Liberal councillor Bill Tyrrell said.

Councillors moved to place the legal report in closed session during a meeting.

“Along with the prospect, the chamber should be presented with the costs to date and the projected costs.”

Under the control of former administrator Amanda Chadwick, the legal report was moved to the open forum to “improve community access to information and transparency”.

The council is currently in court fighting 22 matters, including against its own Liberal councillor Benjamin Barrak, who is hoping to build 44 units on his Wigram St site in Harris Park.

There are 22 active cases involving the council currently in court.

One case includes Parramatta Liberal councillor Benjamin Barrak.

“The administrator wanted to take information away from us,” Cr Lorraine Wearne said.

“We need to know why we’re in court and if it’s worth it, and with this open report it’s just not enough.”

At the most recent council meeting there were nine items considered in closed session, with a councillors deciding to move a further two issues behind closed doors.

Under Ms Chadwick, an average of just three items per meeting were in closed session.