DETAILS of an agreement reached with a union to stop a bin strike will not be made public.

In June, members of the GMB voted in favour of a strike amid an argument between union representatives and Brighton and Hove City Council officers.

Action was officially called off last week when an agreement was reached following negotiations between GMB representatives, council staff and the council’s political leader Nancy Platts, who is a registered GMB member.

However the council said it would not make public exactly what had been agreed between the warring factions.

It said this was “due to privacy and commercially sensitive reasons”.

Conservative councillor Lee Wares said: “It’s right that the council doesn’t disclose any information regarding individuals or personnel matters.

“However, if there have been agreements regarding daily operations, performance levels and ways of working, then there should be no reason why the council can’t disclose them. After all, this is a frontline taxpayer service that has been consistently failing for years and if there are changes that are going to improve the situation, then we would all like to know what they are.”

The council also said it would not make public a report titled “Cityclean and future industrial relations”.

It is understood the report provided insight into disagreements at the depot between GMB union representatives and council officers.

Both sides have been attending mediator sessions with Acas.

Cllr Platts attended the “majority” of sessions with members of the executive leadership team, the most senior officers in the council.

Cllr Platts has two declarations of interests in the GMB on the council’s website – firstly as a registered GMB member and secondly as guest at the GMB’s Southern and Yorkshire region dinner, registered under “gifts or hospitality above an estimated value of £50”.

A council spokesman on Cllr Platt’s behalf said: “The leader voluntarily declared her interest and took part in the negotiations as she is committed to ensuring positive industrial relations for the good of the city.”

GMB boss Mark Turner said there had been an “organisational change” but added the details of the agreement was confidential and so he was “not at liberty to disclose” them.

He said: “The ball is now in their court, if it falls to pieces, it will not be because the GMB. We are committed to making sure that does not happen and we have agreed a number of measures to prevent that going forward.”

Speaking about Cllr Platt’s relationship with the GMB, he said: “Seventy per cent of the Labour membership nationally is a member of the trade union. Nancy Platts is a GMB member, as are other councillors on the red benches. There are also Green councillors who are part of the GMB.”