Askam and Ireleth Parish Council

Information available from Askam and Ireleth Parish Council under the Freedom of Information Act model publication scheme

This template guide covers only information we currently hold. If we do not hold some of the information listed below, we will mark it as 'not held' in the table.

Additional Information

Information not itemised in the lists above

Schedule of charges

This describes how the charges have been arrived at and should be published as part of the guide.

* the actual cost incurred

Askam and Ireleth Parish Council.

Retention of Documents Policy

Introduction

The parish council recognise that the efficient management of its records is necessary to comply with its legal and regulatory obligations and to contribute to the effective overall management of the parish council.

This document provides the policy framework through which this effective management can be achieved and audited. It covers:

Scope
Responsibilities
Retention Schedule
Disposal of Records

Scope of Policy

This policy applies to all records created, received or maintained by the parish council in the course of carrying out its functions.

Records are defined as all those documents which facilitate the business carried out by the parish council and which are thereafter retained (for a set period of time) to provide evidence of its transactions or activities. These records may be created, received or maintained in hard copy or electronically. A small percentage of the parish council's records will be selected for permanent preservation as part of the council's archives and for historical research.

Responsibilities

The parish council has a corporate responsibility to maintain its records and record management systems in accordance with the regulatory environment. The person with overall responsibility for the implementing the policy is the Clerk to the parish council, and she/he is required to manage the Council's records in such a way as to promote compliance with this police so that information will be retrieved easily, appropriately and in a timely manner.

Retention Schedule

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the parish council is required to maintain a retention schedule listing the records series which it creates in the course of its business. The retention schedule lays down the length of time which the record needs to be retained and the action which should be taken when it is of no further administrative use. The Clerk is expected to manage the current record keeping systems using the retention schedule and to account of the different retention periods when creating new record keeping systems.

Disposal Procedures

All documents that are no longer required for administrative reasons should be shredded and disposed of.

Retention of Documents Schedule

This retention schedule refers to record series regardless of media in which they are stored.

Planning Applications.

All planning applications and relevant decision notices are available on the Westmorland and Furness Council Planning Portal website. There is no requirement to retain duplicates locally with exception of larger developments which will be retained for 12 months and kept in a safe location.

ASKAM AND IRELETH PARISH COUNCIL

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION POLICY

BACKGROUND

1.1 The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) place legislative requirements on all public authorities, including local councils.

The laws established the legal Right to Know; a presumption in favour of public access to information held by public authorities, subject to certain exemptions; and other measures to improve public sector transparency.

1.2 The Council is obliged to provide information:

• Through a publication scheme
• In response to requests made under the general right of access.

When responding to requests, there are set procedures that the Council needs to follow.

These include:

• The time limit public authorities are allowed for responding to requests.
• The fees or amount that public authorities can charge for dealing with requests. Public authorities are not obliged to deal with requests if the costs of finding the information exceed a set amount known as the appropriate limit.
• Public authorities need not comply with vexatious or repeated requests. (See Appendix 1 for some of the indicators that the Council will use to identify a vexatious request)

The Act also recognises that there are valid reasons for withholding information by setting out a number of exemptions from the right to know, some of which are subject to a public interest test.

2. POLICY STATEMENT

As part of a society where information rights and responsibilities are respected by all, Askam and Ireleth Parish Council will aim to move away from the need for individual freedom of information requests and complaints towards a culture of routine, proactive and substantially increased transparency on the part of the Council, by:

• Being open and transparent and endeavouring to provide the public with access to the official information that it holds, as a matter of course.
• Making people aware of their rights to access the official information the council holds.
• Making as much routine information as possible available through the Council's Publication Scheme and website.
• Providing reasonable advice and assistance to applicants for information, including pointing applicants to possible sources of the information they seek if it is not held by the Council.

3. DEALING WITH REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION

3.1 Members of the public have a general right of access to information held by Askam and Ireleth Parish Council, specifically:

• To be told whether or not the information is held by the Council, and
• If it is, to have the information communicated to them.

Note: There are certain exemptions and limitations to this general right, but just because a document is marked "Confidential" does not automatically mean that it is exempt information, although it may be covered by certain exemptions. Each case will be dealt with on its merits.

3.2 Requests for information must be in writing, must give the applicant's name and return address and must describe the information requested in such a way that we are able to locate it. A written request includes an e-mail. (For environmental information, the request does not have to be in writing.)

3.3 All requests for information will be logged on a record sheet.

3.4 Receipt will be acknowledged but if it is possible to respond with the information requested, this will be done instead. If further information is required in order to locate the information requested, this will be undertaken as quickly as possible.

3.5 All correspondence, phone calls, e-mails etc., that follow the original request will be recorded.

3.6 The Council has 20 working days in which to deal with a request for information. If it is not clear what information is required, the 20-day period does not begin until clarification is received from the applicant as to exactly what is required. (For environmental information, the response period is extended to 40 working days for information that is complex and bulky.)

3.7 A charge will be made for the photocopying of information requested as follows:

• 10p per single A4 size sheet
• Additionally, postage will be charged at cost.
• If the cost of finding, sorting and editing the information requested is more than £450 then, under the FOI Act, the Council does not have to provide the information. (Under EIR, environmental information cannot be refused on the grounds of cost)

3.8 Any requests for information that is not contained in the Publication Scheme will be passed to the council Clerk to deal with under the FOI Act. A certain amount of guidance on dealing with requests is held by the Clerk, but it may be necessary that further specific guidance will be required from the Information Commissioner's Office. Certain personal information is covered by the Data Protection Act.

3.9 The applicant will be kept informed at all stages of the process of supplying the information requested, particularly if it is a complex request, when guidance may have to be sought from other agencies.

3.10 If a request is refused, the refusal notice will give the reasons for refusing the request and advise the applicant as to their rights of appeal – both internally by way of a complaint and, following that, by way of an appeal to the Information Commissioner.

4. APPEAL PROCESS

4.1 If the information requested cannot be supplied, the reasons for this will be communicated to the applicant immediately. The applicant has the right of appeal against the refusal, initially to the Council, but ultimately to the Information Commissioner.

4.2 Any initial appeal will be made to the Council, it will be dealt with by elected members, in accordance with the Council's Complaints Procedure. If the original decision not to supply the information is upheld by the Council, but is still not accepted by the applicant, then the applicant is able to appeal to the Information Commissioner.

4.3 Reasons for refusing information must be in accordance with the respective provisions of the legislation, including consideration of the public interest test where this applies.

6. REVIEW

This policy will be reviewed every year (or earlier if required by changes to legislation or additional documentation) and amended as necessary based on good practice or evidence taken forward.

Policy first adopted by Askam and Ireleth Parish Council
Agreed Minute reference.
Reviewed March
Next Review 17th February 2026

Clerk – Janice Cumming

APPENDIX 1

Some of the indicators to be used by the Council to identify whether a request for information is vexatious (ICO Guidance – 'Dealing with Vexatious Requests').

Abusive or aggressive language

The tone or language of the requester's correspondence goes beyond the level of criticism that a public authority or its employees should reasonably expect to receive.

Burden on the authority

The effort required to meet the request will be so grossly oppressive in terms of the strain on time and resources, that the authority cannot reasonably be expected to comply, no matter how legitimate the subject matter or valid the intentions of the requester.

Personal grudges

For whatever reason, the requester is targeting their correspondence towards a particular employee or office holder against whom they have some personal enmity.

Unreasonable persistence

The requester is attempting to reopen an issue which has already been comprehensively addressed by the public authority, or otherwise subjected to some form of independent scrutiny.

Unfounded accusations

The request makes completely unsubstantiated accusations against the public authority or specific employees. Intransigence

The requester takes an unreasonably entrenched position, rejecting attempts to assist and advise out of hand and shows no willingness to engage with the authority.

Frequent or overlapping requests

The requester submits frequent correspondence about the same issue or sends in new requests before the public authority has had an opportunity to address their earlier enquiries.

Deliberate intention to cause annoyance

The requester has explicitly stated that it is their intention to cause disruption to the public authority or is a member of a campaign group whose stated aim is to disrupt the authority.

Scattergun approach

The request appears to be part of a completely random approach, lacks any clear focus, or seems to have been solely designed for the purpose of 'fishing' for information without any idea of what might be revealed. Disproportionate effort

The matter being pursued by the requester is relatively trivial and the authority would have to expend a disproportionate amount of resources in order to meet their request.

No obvious intent to obtain information

The requester is abusing their rights of access to information by using the legislation as a means to vent their anger at a particular decision, or to harass and annoy the authority, for example, by requesting information which the authority knows them to possess already.

Futile requests

The issue at hand individually affects the requester and has already been conclusively resolved by the authority or subjected to some form of independent investigation. Frivolous requests

The subject matter is inane or extremely trivial and the request appears to lack any serious purpose. The request is made for the sole purpose of amusement.

Askam & Ireleth Parish Council

DATA PROTECTION POLICY

Purpose

The council is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses the personal data of staff, and to meeting our data protection obligations. This policy sets out the council's commitment to data protection, and your rights and obligations in relation to personal data in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).

This policy applies to the personal data of current and former job applicants, employees, workers, contractors, and former employees, referred to as HR-related personal data. This policy does not apply to the personal data relating to members of the public or other personal data processed for council business.

The council has appointed Michael Cumming as the person with responsibility for data protection compliance within the council. Questions about this policy, or requests for further information, should be directed to them.

Definitions

"Personal data" is any information that relates to a living person who can be identified from that data (a 'data subject') on its own, or when taken together with other information. It includes both automated personal data and manual filing systems where personal data are accessible according to specific criteria. It does not include anonymised data.

"Processing" is any use that is made of data, including collecting, recording, organising, consulting, storing, amending, disclosing or destroying it.

"Special categories of personal data" means information about an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sex life or sexual orientation and genetic or biometric data as well as criminal convictions and offences.

"Criminal records data" means information about an individual's criminal convictions and offences, and information relating to criminal allegations and proceedings.

Data protection principles

The council processes HR-related personal data in accordance with the following data protection principles the council:

• processes personal data lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
• collects personal data only for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes
• processes personal data only where it is adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purposes of processing
• keeps accurate personal data and takes all reasonable steps to ensure that inaccurate personal data is rectified or deleted without delay
• keeps personal data only for the period necessary for processing
• adopts appropriate measures to make sure that personal data is secure, and protected against unauthorised or unlawful processing, and accidental loss, destruction or damage

The council will tell you of the personal data it processes, the reasons for processing your personal data, how we use such data, how long we retain the data, and the legal basis for processing in our privacy notices.

The council will not use your personal data for an unrelated purpose without telling you about it and the legal basis that we intend to rely on for processing it. The council will not process your personal data if it does not have a legal basis for processing.

The council keeps a record of our processing activities in respect of HR-related personal data in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Processing

Personal data

The council will process your personal data (that is not classed as special categories of personal data) for one or more of the following reasons:

• it is necessary for the performance of a contract, e.g., your contract of employment (or services); and/or
• it is necessary to comply with any legal obligation; and/or
• it is necessary for the council's legitimate interests (or for the legitimate interests of a third party), unless there is a good reason to protect your personal data which overrides those legitimate interests; and/or
• it is necessary to protect the vital interests of a data subject or another person; and/or
• it is necessary for the performance if a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

If the council processes your personal data (excluding special categories of personal data) in line with one of the above bases, it does not require your consent. Otherwise, the council is required to gain your consent to process your personal data. If the council asks for your consent to process personal data, then we will explain the reason for the request. You do not need to consent or can withdraw consent later.

The council will not use your personal data for an unrelated purpose without telling you about it and the legal basis that we intend to rely on for processing it.

Personal data gathered during the employment is held in your personnel file in hard copy and electronic format on HR and IT systems and servers. The periods for which the council holds your HR-related personal data are contained in our privacy notices to individuals.

Sometimes the council will share your personal data with contractors and agents to carry out our obligations under a contract with the individual or for our legitimate interests. We require those individuals or companies to keep your personal data confidential and secure and to protect it in accordance with Data Protection law and our policies. They are only permitted to process that data for the lawful purpose for which it has been shared and in accordance with our instructions.

The council will update HR-related personal data promptly if you advise that your information has changed or is inaccurate. You may be required to provide documentary evidence in some circumstances.

The council keeps a record of our processing activities in respect of HR-related personal data in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Special categories of data

The council will only process special categories of your personal data (see above) on the following basis in accordance with legislation:

• where it is necessary for carrying out rights and obligations under employment law or a collective agreement;
• where it is necessary to protect your vital interests or those of another person where you are physically or legally incapable of giving consent;
• where you have made the data public;
• where it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims;
• where it is necessary for the purposes of occupational medicine or for the assessment of your working capacity;
• where it is carried out by a not-for-profit body with a political, philosophical, religious or trade union aim provided the processing relates to only members or former members provided there is no disclosure to a third party without consent;
• where it is necessary for reasons for substantial public interest on the basis of law which is proportionate to the aim pursued and which contains appropriate safeguards;
• where is it necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health; and
• where is it necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest or scientific and historical research purposes.

If the council processes special categories of your personal data in line with one of the above bases, it does not require your consent. In other cases, the council is required to gain your consent to process your special categories of personal data. If the council asks for your consent to process a special category of personal data, then we will explain the reason for the request. You do not have to consent or can withdraw consent later.

Individual rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data.

Subject access requests

You have the right to make a subject access request. If you make a subject access request, the council will tell you:

• whether or not your data is processed and if so why, the categories of personal data concerned and the source of the data if it is not collected from yourself;
• to whom your data is or may be disclosed, including to recipients located outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and the safeguards that apply to such transfers;
• for how long your personal data is stored (or how that period is decided);
• your rights to rectification or erasure of data, or to restrict or object to processing;
• your right to complain to the Information Commissioner if you think the council has failed to comply with your data protection rights; and
• whether or not the council carries out automated decision-making and the logic involved in any such decision-making.

The council will also provide you with a copy of your personal data undergoing processing. This will normally be in electronic form if you have made a request electronically, unless you agree otherwise.

If you want additional copies, the council may charge a fee, which will be based on the administrative cost to the council of providing the additional copies.

To make a subject access request, you should send the request to the Clerk or Chair of the Council. In some cases, the council may need to ask for proof of identification before the request can be processed. The council will inform you if we need to verify your identity and the documents we require.

The council will normally respond to a request within a period of one month from the date it is received. Where the council processes large amounts of your data, this may not be possible within one month. The council will write to you within one month of receiving the original request to tell you if this is the case.

If a subject access request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, the council is not obliged to comply with it. Alternatively, the council can agree to respond but will charge a fee, which will be based on the administrative cost of responding to the request. A subject access request is likely to be manifestly unfounded or excessive where it repeats a request to which the council has already responded. If you submit a request that is unfounded or excessive, the council will notify you that this is the case and whether or not we will respond to it.

Other rights

You have a number of other rights in relation to your personal data. You can require the council to:

• rectify inaccurate data;
• stop processing or erase data that is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing;
• stop processing or erase data if your interests override the council's legitimate grounds for processing data (where the council relies on our legitimate interests as a reason for processing data);
• stop processing or erase data if processing is unlawful; and
• stop processing data for a period if data is inaccurate or if there is a dispute about whether or not your interests override the council's legitimate grounds for processing data.
• complain to the Information Commissioner. You can do this by contacting the Information Commissioner's Office directly. Full contact details including a helpline number can be found on the Information Commissioner's Office website (www.ico.org.uk).

To ask the council to take any of these steps, you should send the request to the Clerk or Chair of the Council.

Data security

The council takes the security of HR-related personal data seriously. The council has internal policies and controls in place to protect personal data against loss, accidental destruction, misuse or disclosure, and to ensure that data is not accessed, except by employees in the proper performance of their duties.

Where the council engages third parties to process personal data on our behalf, such parties do so on the basis of written instructions, are under a duty of confidentiality and are obliged to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of data.

Data breaches

The council have robust measures in place to minimise and prevent data breaches from taking place. Should a breach of personal data occur the council must take notes and keep evidence of that breach.

If you are aware of a data breach you must contact the Clerk or Chair of the Council immediately and keep any evidence, you have in relation to the breach.

If the council discovers that there has been a breach of HR-related personal data that poses a risk to the rights and freedoms of yourself, we will report it to the Information Commissioner within 72 hours of discovery. The council will record all data breaches regardless of their effect.

If the breach is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals, we will tell you that there has been a breach and provide you with information about its likely consequences and the mitigation measures we have taken.

International data transfers

The council will not transfer HR-related personal data to countries outside the EEA.

Individual responsibilities

You are responsible for helping the council keep your personal data up to date. You should let the council know if data provided to the council changes, for example if you move to a new house or change your bank details.

Everyone who works for, or on behalf of, the council has some responsibility for ensuring data is collected, stored and handled appropriately, in line with the council's policies.

You may have access to the personal data of other individuals and of members of the public in the course of your work with the council. Where this is the case, the council relies on you to help meet our data protection obligations to staff and members of the public. Individuals who have access to personal data are required:

• to access only data that you have authority to access and only for authorised purposes;
• not to disclose data except to individuals (whether inside or outside the council) who have appropriate authorisation;
• to keep data secure (for example by complying with rules on access to premises, computer access, including password protection, locking computer screens when away from desk, and secure file storage and destruction including locking drawers and cabinets, not leaving documents on desk whilst unattended);
• not to remove personal data, or devices containing or that can be used to access personal data, from the council's premises without prior authorisation and without adopting appropriate security measures (such as encryption or password protection) to secure the data and the device; and
• not to store personal data on local drives or on personal devices that are used for work purposes.
• to never transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area except in compliance with the law and with express authorisation from the Clerk or Chair of the Council
• to ask for help from the council's data protection lead if unsure about data protection or if you notice a potential breach or any areas of data protection or security that can be improved upon.

Failing to observe these requirements may amount to a disciplinary offence, which will be dealt with under the council's disciplinary procedure. Significant or deliberate breaches of this policy, such as accessing personal data without authorisation or a legitimate reason to do so or concealing or destroying personal data as part of a subject access request, may constitute gross misconduct and could lead to dismissal without notice.

[Training

The council provides training to all individuals about their data protection responsibilities.

If your roles require you to have regular access to personal data, or you are responsible for implementing this policy or responding to subject access requests under this policy, you will receive additional training to help you understand your duties and how to comply with them.]

This is a non-contractual policy and procedure which will be reviewed from time to time.

Date of policy: September 2024
Approving committee: Full Council
Policy version reference: 2024/01
Supersedes: Data Protection Policy 2019/01
Policy effective from: 17th February 2026
Date for next review: 1st March 2027

Notes

This is an example policy that should be adjusted to reflect the procedures and policy of the council.

1. Data audit

It is important that the council's policy reflects current practice. Any policy must be based on a data audit to ensure that the council understands what data is collected, where it is stored, who has access to the data and the measures taken to ensure it is secure. For more information on implementing a Data Protection Policy, please refer to the Information Commissioner website.

2. Relevance

The council must ensure that any commitment made in their policy is relevant and up-to-date.

3. Data Protection Officer

The policy assumes that the council has a Data Protection lead rather than appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO). The role of DPO is set out in legislation and infers specific obligations. Parish councils in England and community councils in Wales and Scotland are exempt from having to appoint a DPO (https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/in-your-sector/local-government/local-gov-gdpr-faqs/) but are still subject to data protection legislation and must ensure sufficient resources to meet the obligations under the GDPR.

4. Data storage within the EU

You need to take account of where your data is stored including servers, on the cloud, and where your suppliers might hold their data including on their server.

Guidance

Where there is text in [square brackets] this part may be updated or be deleted if not relevant. An alternative option may have been provided.

Important notice

This is an example of an employment policy designed for a small council adhering to statutory minimum requirements and does not constitute legal advice. As with all policies it should be consistent with your terms and conditions of employment.

This document was commissioned by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) in 2019 for the purpose of its member councils and county associations. Every effort has been made to ensure that the contents of this document are correct at time of publication. NALC cannot accept responsibility for errors, omissions and changes to information subsequent to publication.

This document has been written by the HR Services Partnership – a company that provides HR advice and guidance to town and parish councils. Please contact them on 01403 240 205 for information about their services.

Askam and Ireleth Parish Council

Subject Access Request Policy

Introduction

Individuals have the right to know what data is held on them, why the data is being processed and whether it will be given to any third party. They have the right to be given this information in a hard copy. This is known as a 'subject access request or 'SAR'.

What must be done in the event of a 'SAR'

1. On receipt of a SAR, it must be copied immediately to all councilors and the Clerk, if a councilor has received the request.
2. The Clerk must correctly identify whether a request has been made under the Data Protection Legislation.
3. The Clerk and the councilor, who receives a request to locate and supply personal data relating to SAR must make a full exhaustive search of the records to which they have access.
4. All the personal data has been requested must be provided unless an exemption can be applied.
5. A response must be sent within one calendar month after accepting the request is valid.
6. Subject Access Requests must be undertaken free of charge to the requestor unless the legislation permits reasonable fees to be charged.
7. Councilors must ensure that the staff they manage are aware of and follow this guidance.
8. Where a requestor is not satisfied with a response to a SAR, the council must manage this as a complaint.

How to Action the Above

1. All Councilors and the Clerk should be notified upon receipt of request.
2. The Clerk must ensure a request has been received in writing where a data subject is asking for sufficient well-defined personal data held by council relating to the data subject. The personal data requested should be clarified with the requestor. They must supply their address and valid evidence to prove their identity. The council accepts the following forms of identification:

(*These documents must be dated in the past 12 months; +These documents must be dated in the past 3 months)

• Current UK Passport
• UK Photocard Driving Licence (Full or Provisional)
• Firearms Licence/Shotgun Certificate
• EEA National Identity Card
• Full UK Paper Driving Licence
• State Benefits Entitlement Document*
• State Pension Entitlement Document*
• HMRC Tax Credit Document*
• Local Authority Benefit Document*
• State/Local Authority Education Grant Document*
• HMRC Tax Notification Document
• Disabled Driver's Pass
• Financial Statement issued by bank, building society or credit card company
• Judiciary Document such as Notice of hearing or summons or court order
• Utility bill for supply of gas, electricity, water or telephone landline+
• Most recent Mortgage Statement
• Most recent council tax bill/demand or statement
• Tenancy Agreement

Askam & Ireleth Parish Council

Complaints Procedure

The following procedure shall apply when efforts to deal with a complaint informally by either the Clerk or Chair have been unsuccessful.

Receipt of Complaint

1. The complainant will be asked to put the complaint about the council's procedures or administration in writing to the clerk.
2. If the complainant does not wish to put the complaint to the clerk, he or she should be advised to address it to the Chair of the council.
3. The clerk shall acknowledge receipt of the complaint and advise the complainant when the matter will be considered by the council or by the committee established for the purposes of hearing complaints. The complainant should also be advised whether the complaint will be treated as confidential.
4. The complainant shall be invited to attend a meeting and to bring with them a representative if they wish.
5. Seven clear working days prior to the meeting, the complainant shall provide the council with copies of any documentation or other evidence relied on. The council shall provide the complainant with copies of any documentation upon which they wish to rely at the meeting and shall do so promptly, allowing the claimant the opportunity to read the material in good time for the meeting.

At the Meeting

6. The council shall consider whether the circumstances of the meeting warrant the exclusion of the public and the press. Any decision on a complaint shall be announced at the council meeting in public.
7. The Chair should introduce everyone and explain the procedure.
8. The complainant (or representative) should outline the grounds for complaint and, thereafter, questions may be asked by (i) the clerk or other nominated officer and then (ii), members.
9. The clerk will have an opportunity to explain the council's position and questions may be asked by (i) the complainant and (ii), members.
10. The clerk and then the complainant should be offered the opportunity to summarise their position.
11. The clerk and the complainant should be asked to leave the room while members decide whether or not the grounds for the complaint have been made. If a point of clarification is necessary, both parties shall be invited back.
12. The clerk and the complainant should be given the opportunity to wait for the decision but if the decision is unlikely to be finalised on that day they should be advised when the decision is likely to be made and when it is likely to be communicated to them.

After the Meeting

16. The decision should be confirmed in writing within seven working days together with details of any action to be taken.