THE new trust set up to run culture and sport in Glasgow will meet behind closed doors, it emerged today.

Despite earlier assurances the charitable company taking over control of the city's galleries and leisure centres would be open and transparent, it met this week for the first time - in private.

Ironically its first decision was to fully comply with Freedom of Information requests - but then it was revealed only one meeting a year will be open to the public.

The move immediately raised questions over what the trust was trying to hide with an opposition councillor slamming the policy of taking decisions in secret.

SNP councillor John Mason said: "This confirms our worst fears. The advantage of having museums and everything else under democratic control is that the public has access to what is happening.

"When you hive things off to other legal entities then this is the sort of thing that happens.

"Presumably it is entirely able to have its meetings in public, the same as the council.

"Not every culture and leisure committee is packed with the public and over the years there have been some sensitive issues which have been taken in private.

"But there have been some very important community issues such as the closure of the Govanhill Pool and the Chirnsyde Centre in Milton.

"These decisions would all be taken behind closed doors now." Trust board members Sir Angus Grossart � Archie Graham � Ruth Simpson � Lord Macfarlane � Lord Stevenson George Reid � Steven Purcell � Bridget McConnell � John Lynch � Liz Cameron

The interim board will be headed by Bridget McConnell, current executive director of culture and sport in Glasgow and wife of First Minister Jack McConnell.

Other members are Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, a former director of London's Tate Gallery; Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden; banker Sir Angus Grossart; and George Reid MSP, outgoing presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament.

They will be joined by Glasgow's current Lord Provost Liz Cameron as chairwoman; council leader Steven Purcell; city treasurer Ruth Simpson and councillors Archie Graham and John Lynch.

Councillor Purcell, who gave two pledges the new trust would be open and transparent, said: "The board will be publicly accountable.

"It will be covered by Freedom of Information legislation, a public meeting will be held each year and a council committee will openly scrutinise board decisions.

"The Board will attract extra investment for culture and sport in Glasgow. It will only do this if it has the freedom to discuss commercially-sensitive information at any point in the meetings, which is why these are held in private."

Lord Provost Liz Cameron insisted decisions will be open to public scrutiny.

The Lord Provost said all decisions of the trust will scrutinised by a powerful council committee - held in public.

She added: "We are determined to comply with FoI legislation and to have our decisions out to the public as quickly as possible. We want to be as open as we possibly can."

A trading company will run the profit-making shops and restaurants in galleries and sports centres with all profits ploughed back into the culture and sport service.

Leading city lawyer Kenneth Christie; Scottish Opera board member and film and drama producer Ed Crozier, who is an international rugby referee; PR guru Flora Martin, and Seumas MacInnes, owner of Cafe Gandolfi in the Merchant City, have been appointed external directors.