Building colleges, keeping minutes and tabling papers

Andrew Foster’s report on the crisis in the LSC’s college re-building programme (and possible solutions) is due before Easter. It may be a good read.

Last week the Guardian quoted the FE minister Sion Simon saying:

"The minutes of LSC council meetings tend not, over the course of the last year, either to have referred to this at all or referred to it in any great detail"

The Guardian article also reported:

Sources close to the [LSC] council confirmed, however, that there was some delay in keeping members informed of the growing problem. Reports tended to be "tabled" at meetings and not made available for reading in advance, one said.

There are a range of opinions on whether minutes should be Hansard-like or something briefer outlining the nature of discussions leading to decisions. There is less debate on the potential for tabled papers to causes problems for governance.