SECRECY stinks has been the BEN's opinion on Bolton Council's steadfast refusal to hold its Cabinet meetings in public.

Last night, councillors at last voted to allow the press and public into the meetings of ten Labour "super councillors" who are responsible for services which affect all our lives.

The BEN has campaigned for months for our reporters to be given the right to tell you what is going on and how your money is being spent.

The "modernisation" of councils was the aim of the Government's Local Government Bill.

The idea was to put an end to the numerous committee meetings and make the running of local government more efficient.

But councils were also asked to look different ways of conducting their business.

Like Bolton, many have brought in a Cabinet-style council as an experiment, preparing for when the legislation comes into force.

Some councils do open their Cabinet meetings to the press and public, others have bowed under public pressure.

Now Bolton has made a dramatic U-turn from the stance taken at the last full council meeting on July 19.

Then councillors voted to carry on with the secrecy arguing that it was "premature" to open Cabinet meetings up to the public and that during this first experimental year, all Cabinet decisions have to be rubber-stamped by the management and finance committee.

The BEN again argued that the public was being denied access to discussions on issues which affect our communities.

Newspapers up and down the country have been telling their readers that they were being robbed of their right to freedom of information.

And just a week or so later, Local Government Minister Hilary Armstrong announced councils will have to allow reporters into meetings of two or more members during which "key decisions" are made.

The climbdown followed a campaign by the Society of Editors and the Campaign for Freedom of Information.

Campaigners are still concerned over how "key decisions" will be defined and it is still possible there will be secret meetings before Cabinet and the Cabinet meetings will simply be used to put the right "spin" on.

There is still a way to go, but last night's decision at last recognises the principle of open government and the message seems to have finally got across that the public will not stand for secrecy.