Lib Dem pressure forces disclosure of councillor costs

10.27.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 21st May 2009

In Feb 2009 Poole Conservatives squashed a Liberal Democrat motion seeking more openness and accountability from the Council. The proposal was said to be 'offensive' and 'pandering to the public'. On May 18th Brian Clements wrote to Council Leader, Brian Leverett, demanding that he should think again about using the Council website to publish details of allowances and expenses paid to members.

We are pleased to say that the Council has now announced that it will do that. Having them printed once a year in the Advertiser was not good enough. Brian will keep pressing for more openness with the Register of Members Interests too.

(Brian's Letter)

Dear Cllr. Leverett,

In view of the current furore over MP's expenses and allowances, I am writing to ask you to be pro-active in adding transparency to the position of Councillors. Please reconsider the motion that I put to Council on 19th February. I would particularly draw to your attention two of the proposals:

Allowances and expenses paid to Members by the Council or other representative bodies to be published on the Council website.

On-line viewing to the Register of Members' Interests.

I will, if necessary be reintroducing these matters to Council as soon as the 6 months embargo has elapsed but I put it to you that you have the power to act immediately if you are so minded.

It is about the time that the relevant expenditure for 2008/09 is due to be published so now would be a good time to see that it is readily available on the Council website. I would also suggest that including those that were published this time last year would demonstrate our commitment to transparency. I attach a copy of the 2007/08 published figures as a reminder for you. Whatever the controversy about members allowances, increased special responsibility allowances or expense claims they should be readily available for inspection. The old quotation 'sunlight is the best antiseptic' is being much quoted at the present time - it applies to us too.

You will recall that I was disappointed in February when you by-passed the convention of referring motions to a scrutiny committee and summarily dismissed my proposal that evening. I also attach a copy of the minutes of that meeting. I have highlighted comments made by some of your colleagues and I would ask you to reflect on them. I think they bring no credit whatsoever to the Council e.g.

"He felt that the public was satisfied with the way the Council worked as in a recent MORI Poll 63% had expressed general satisfaction."

"she felt some of this Motion was pandering to the public as Members were entitled to some privacy and however much was available in the public arena, sometimes some Members of the public would not be satisfied"

"The Members' Allowance Scheme was published as part of the Council's Constitution on the Web and amounts claimed by each Member, by law, had to be published annually in a paper circulating in the local area."

With regard to the Allowance Scheme publication 'as part of the Council's constitution' the data is quite difficult to find and does not give any guidance as to amounts actually received by individual members.

The public should not have to make a special request for such information, they should be able to just 'look it up' for themselves. I urge you to give proper consideration to my request.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr. Brian Clements