THE INCOMING leader of City of York council has outlined a series of changes he wants to make, to improve openness and transparency at the authority.

Cllr Dafydd Williams, who is already leader of the Labour group on the council and is due to be officially elected as council leader next week, has outlined two changes he wants to make as an “immediate priority”. He wants to see all future decisions made in public, and has proposed a cross-party working group to oversee further changes.

Cllr Williams said: “I propose to make all decision sessions public meetings, with published agendas and webcasting or audio recording as with all other council meetings.

“This shows the council to be open and transparent and that we welcome the public’s input into, and scrutiny of, the decision-making process. I also want to see a cross-party working group of councillors established to look at the council’s governance more generally as there are always things we can do to improve. The charge that the council is not open and transparent I don’t accept but these proposals show we will be more open where we can be.”