LEGAL chiefs at Herefordshire Council told councillors it was up to them whether they disclosed how they voted during the bypass debate.

The Hereford Times recently asked all 52 councillors how they voted in the meeting which debated cancelling the proposed western bypass.

The council voted to drop the road project from its capital programme at an extraordinary full council meeting on February 2.

But, because council meetings are held online and no councillors called for a named vote, there was no way of knowing how each elected member voted.

So councillors were asked which way they voted on the motion and some refused to answer.

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“I have been made aware of the request from the Hereford Times to confirm how you voted in the council debate on 2 February 2021," an email the interim legal services head Kate Charlton sent to councillors reads.

“It is a matter for you whether you disclose this information.

“As with all local authorities, during Covid-19, we are doing the utmost to remain as open and transparent as possible.

“On February 2 no recorded vote was requested by attending members. The council does not, therefore, hold a record of how attending members voted on this matter.”

However, the council’s own code of conduct states holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take.

They should give reasons for their decisions and only restrict information when the wider public interest clearly demands.