The chief executive of Dundee City Council has defended secret meetings being held to discuss changes in staffing and services.
David Dorward said the existence of the Changing for the Future board was “critical” to delivering balanced budgets.
Meetings were held on a private and confidential basis to allow proper discussion and analysis of information and the drawing up of formal proposals.
He stressed that final decisions always rested with councillors at normal committee meetings.
Labour councillor Richard McCready said he still believed the meetings were “a secretive sham” and said no serious attempt had been made by the SNP administration to take on board the views of the opposition.
A report on the work of the board has been drawn up and is due to be presented to a meeting of councillors tonight.
In it Mr Dorward explained its creation was the result of the increased savings the council has had to make since 2010.
Mr Dorward said: “There have been 10 board meetings so far and to date, despite invitations being issued to all members of the board for each meeting, only the administration group members and the previous lord provost attended the meetings.
“It is important to stress that shortly after each board meeting, hopefully the same day, copies of all reports considered by the board members are issued to all 29 elected members and trade unions where there may be implications for their members.
“The reports are also communicated to staff via chief officers as well as all the reports being available via the Changing for the Future section of the council’s intranet site.”
He said, to date, savings totalling almost £10.5 million have been made, with another £2.5m expected in 2013/14 and another £3.6m the following year.
“The total savings up to and including 2013/14 equate to almost £13m and have contributed significantly to the city council achieving a council tax freeze every year since 2009,” Mr Dorward added.
The chief executive said the Changing for the Future programme had seen 48 projects begun to date, including cutting the number of departments from 14 to seven, making better use of IT and bringing in new ways of working.
However, Mr McCready said he would be proposing changes to the board’s make-up and procedures.
“I think that the Changing for the Future Board should meet in public,” he said. “It should issue agendas, minutes and other papers. It should formally become part of the council’s committee structure.
“If the council is serious about listening to the views of opposition councillors, I expect that some of my proposals will be accepted. However, I fully expect that my ideas will be voted out and the secretive status quo will continue.
“Decisions which are passed off as decisions of the Changing for the Future Board are, in reality, decisions of the SNP group. Let’s not kid ourselves that anything different is happening.
“Unless there are major changes to the procedures of the board there is no prospect of Labour councillors taking part in it.”