The Labour manifesto for the council election made the following pledge about meetings between councillors and property developers:

“Labour will not only publish when the meetings take place but we will also list all who attended and publish the agenda and minutes.”

What has been the reality?

A meeting on February 10th with the Council leader Cllr Stephen Cowan and representatives from Capco offers the following as the only “minutes”:

“Discussions took place regarding Earls Court in the context of the manifesto aims, benefits to residents, the conditional land sale agreement and the potential for revisions to the masterplan.”

Then there was a single note about three other meetings with Cllr Cowan and Capco – on September 16th, December 9th and January 27th. The “minutes” for all three meetings offered the following wording:

“Discussions took place regarding Earls Court in the context of the manifesto aims, benefits to residents, the conditional land sale agreement and the potential for revisions to the masterplan.”

Groundhog Day. So far as we can tell exactly the same was said at all four meetings.

The dictionary defines “minutes” as a “detailed (although not verbatim) record of business transacted.”

If you believe that Labour are publishing a “detailed” record of the business transacted at their meetings with property developers then you will believe that they have kept their manifesto pledge.