Press and public were excluded from a meeting of Keighley Town Council for about an hour while two staffing-related issues were debated.

Councillors voted by a comfortable margin to go into closed session last Thursday following a proposal by Coun Michael Westerman.

They discussed a resolution to ‘upgrade’ the council’s administrative and financial assistant to give the employee responsible financial officer (RFO) status. This statutory office – which exists to uphold the financial integrity of the council – has always been part of the Keighley town clerk’s role.

Keighley’s councillors also used the closed doors session to debate a recommendation the council’s deputy clerk only need attend full council meetings if required to do so on the agenda.

Most of the ten members of the public excluded left shortly before the meeting reconvened at 8.10pm. No details were revealed on the outcome of the closed session discussions.