Can an alderman share confidential information with a group of residents?
image: Kristine Flour on Unsplash
A complex discussion is currently taking place in the Municipality of The Hague. An alderman shared confidential information about a future reception facility with a group of residents, asking them not to share the information with others. Geerten Boogaard, Professor of Local Government, discusses the issue on regional broadcaster 'Omroep West'.
The council's guidance on confidentiality allows information to be shared with others outside the council. The course of action makes for an uncomfortable discussion, as the councillors involved cannot comment on it. According to the municipal executive, which invokes municipal law, this also applies to the group of residents with whom the information was shared. This prompted the report filed by the 'Hart voor Den Haag' party.
That confidentiality also applies to citizens is not true, according to Boogaard. 'I wouldn't know how. The standard I know is related to a certain position. Anyone who learns something through that position is bound by it and knows the consequences.' According to the Penal Code, there is no clear basis for binding citizens to secrecy. Boogaard regrets the councillor's conduct and also finds it strange that the municipal council is not allowed to speak, but is allowed to share the information with a select group of residents.
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Read the full article from Omroep West (in dutch)