Secrecy claims Campaigner hits out at plans to delete council emails

TENSIONS flared in City Hall as council leaders faced claims of secrecy over the former mayor’s lost emails.

- Alex SEABROOK Local democracy reporter

Despite councillors calling for better transparency and retention of emails, a new policy at Bristol City Council means emails will be automatically deleted after two years.

Emails sent by leading politicians and council staff often reveal how important decisions are made affecting hundreds or thousands of people. One example is a tower block getting evacuated, but it is unclear if emails about this will be given to an inquiry into what happened.

Tony Dyer, the council leader, faced questions about secrecy claims from campaigners, during a meeting of the strategy and resources policy committee on Monday. Appearing to become exasperated, he promised to “make up an answer” the next time.

The row over emails began when the council refused to respond to a freedom of information request relating to Marvin Rees, shortly before his time as mayor ended in May last year. The response revealed that the former mayor's emails had been deleted, sparking the concerns.