Parish councillor vacancies difficult to fill because of transparency for whole family (From Hereford Times)
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Parish councillor vacancies difficult to fill because of transparency for whole family
8:00am Saturday 14th July 2012 in Letters
REGARDING the registration of interests under the new Localism Act, the rather intemperate letter by David Thame (Readers’ Times, June 21) displays ignorance of the key issue.
Parish councillors always have had to register their financial interests before taking office.
What is new is that they must now register the interests of their husbands or wives. If the spouse should be unwilling to have their affairs divulged to the general public the councillor must, by law, resign.
But why draw the line at spouses when transparency could be better served by including the whole family?
The problem of replacing councillors is glossed over but it is a real problem. In my group of parishes we have been unable to fill a vacancy for the last year and more resignations are now in offing. I understand that at least one other parish has been left inquorate in protest.
DR GEORGE TROUGHTON, Chairman, Stretton Grandison Group of Parishes.
A TROUGHTON, Canon Frome.
