This isn't Dibley

IT is very sad that some excellent parish councillors have felt it necessary to resign over the new Code of Conduct and, in particular, the register of councillors' interests.

However, for your paper to portray the new regulations as red tape gone mad and parish councils as toothless, 'Dibleyesque' committees, arguing over hanging baskets and park benches, is misleading.

Parish councils have very few duties, but wide-ranging powers, including a very free-ranging power to raise tax. Those elected (or co-opted) on to parish councils are made very aware of this during their training.

Is it so unreasonable for the public to be able to access information on people who are empowered to vote in tax rises, and make decisions on budgets totalling tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money?

Under the new Code of Conduct, if a parish councillor votes in a way that a member of the public finds suspect, they will be able to check whether or not the councillor has an interest shares in a development company, ownership of land, office held in a political party that might make them less than impartial. If the councillor has nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear.

We all have a right to expect honourable representation from our councillors, at whatever level, and the new rules simply make local government more open and transparent to the electorate.

The new Code of Conduct is not officialdom for officialdom's sake it opens a door to a new future for parish councils, where power and funding can be devolved from the District Council down to grassroots level. This is an opportunity for villages and towns to have much greater influence over their own affairs and for decisions to be taken by bodies which are much more directly accountable to their electorates.

Sharon Charity

parish councillor

Market Lavington