DOCUMENTS produced for Witney Town Council will no longer be made confidential as a matter of course.

The decision follows criticism that a report which highlighted the failings of the now closed Corn Exchange in Market Square remains secret.

That report is understood to show the building had major problems with its heating and ventilation system, boilers, seating and fire escapes.

But the council said the document could not be released because its author, SJ Treloar and Associates, had put a confidentiality clause on it.

Town clerk Sharon Groth said releasing it to the public would be a breach of confidence and could open the council to legal action.

But the Conservative-led council on Monday night ratified Labour councillor Duncan Enright’s call to produce future documents without such a clause.

Mr Enright said: “One of the key things that needs to change about the way the council does its business is that it has got to be more open.

“It will help reduce people’s level of suspicion and increase the trust in the people who conduct local politics. This is a step in that direction.”

Future documents relating to staffing or commercially sensitive material will remain confidential.

Monday’s meeting also saw the council agree to cancel the next meeting of its public halls committee, which was set up after the Corn Exchange closure, on Tuesday.

The committee was expected to discuss a new report, which will show how much of the hall needs rewiring, but the council has not yet received the document.

Committee members will instead use the time to visit community halls around Oxfordshire to learn how other councils have funded refurbishment projects.

The next public halls committee meeting will take place on March 13, from 7pm at Langdale Hall, Langdale Gate.

On Monday night, Mr Enright also unsuccessfully called for the council to suspend its plans to sell Langdale Hall to finance the Corn Exchange revamp costs of up to £1.5m. He said: “My suggestion is that we put that to one side to concentrate all our efforts on the work needed to reopen the Corn Exchange.

“I am trying to move back to a more neutral point, so the council can look at all the options.”

But town councillor Peter Dorward said he was not convinced it would be for the “greater good of Witney”. And other councillors said the move was premature without more information, including how much the building would fetch.

The council has already spent £45,000 revamping Langdale Hall to help accommodate groups made homeless by the closure of the Corn Exchange.

tjennings@oxfordmail.co.uk